NewsMessage from new Director General of INBAR
INBAR’s new Director General, Ambassador Teshome Toga Chanaka, will champion membership enlargement, resource mobilization and strengthening institutional capacity during his tenure.
Yesterday, on 1 April 2024, I assumed Office as the Director General (DG) of INBAR. I am indeed honored and humbled to join the fraternity of INBAR as its new DG. I have now returned to Beijing a year and three months later after I ended my tour of duty as Ambassador of Ethiopia to the PRC. What a pleasure it is to be back in a different capacity to the city with which I am well familiar, to the folds of many colleagues and friends, and most importantly, to the warm and generous hospitality of the Chinese people. Interestingly, I am no stranger to INBAR. I have participated in a number of INBAR-organized activities during my stay in Beijing, where I represented Ethiopia, the country in Africa with the most abundant bamboo resources and also host to the East Africa Regional Office as well as the China-Africa Bamboo Centre.
I wish to thank the DG Search Committee along with the Board of Trustees for selecting and recommending me to the Council Members of INBAR for their approval. Council Members have confirmed my appointment, and I am very grateful for their trust. I can assure Council Members and the Board of Trustees that I will spare no effort to live up to their trust and expectations. Let me also take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to my predecessor, Ambassador Ali Mchumo, the outgoing DG, for his dedicated service to INBAR during the very challenging pandemic period. The staff of INBAR including those in the five Regional Offices also deserve my appreciation for their contributions to the organization’s achievements. It would be remiss of me if I did not acknowledge and thank the people and Government of China for not only hosting INBAR but also for their unwavering support to the organization since its establishment in 1997. Last but not least, I wish to thank my own government, the Government of Ethiopia, for its strong support and cooperation in this process.
INBAR is an organization with a strong and solid foundation. As an intergovernmental organization comprising 50 Member States, mainly from the Global South, INBAR is well poised to spearhead South-South and Triangular Cooperation. With massive bamboo and rattan resources around the globe, and with their many versatile applications, bamboo and rattan can immensely contribute to the achievements of the SDGs. Guided by the Board of Trustees and the Council, the Secretariat will endeavor to develop new initiatives and also be innovative in its approach. Enlarging membership and mobilizing more resources will be our priorities.
In any organization, institutional capacity is of paramount importance. Core institutional capacity includes its human resources, organizational structure, working methods, rules and procedures. Hence, the Secretariat will endeavor to strengthen the implementation capacity of INBAR, and especially to enhance the capacity of Regional Offices.
The strength of any organization largely depends on the commitment and determination of its members. I call upon the governing organs of INBAR to renew their commitments to the founding vision, mission and values of INBAR so that jointly we can elevate INBAR to the next level. I warmly invite countries with bamboo and rattan resources as well as consumer countries who are not yet members to join INBAR. INBAR will continue to strive for cooperation and solidarity for people, planet, prosperity and a shared future.
With the staff of INBAR, including colleagues at Regional Offices, we shall double our efforts to build on our positive achievements and add value to make INBAR a more dynamic and visible organization.
In Partnership for Inclusive and Green Development!
Ambassador Teshome Toga Chanaka, Director General
