The Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress 2018 (BARC 2018) will take place from 25-27 June in Beijing, China, convened by the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) and China’s State Forestry Administration.
INBAR is an intergovernmental development organization with 43 members, almost all of them countries of the global South. While INBAR has been in existence since 1997, this is the world’s first international, policy-oriented conference focusing on how bamboo and rattan can contribute to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
BARC 2018 is organized on the theme of ‘Enhancing South-South Cooperation for Green Development Through Bamboo and Rattan’s Contribution to the SDGs.’ The three days of discussions will include speakers from UN and other multilateral organizations, policy makers, investors, and environment and development professionals. Speakers include representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
A ministerial summit will take place on the first day of the Congress. Plenary sessions will focus on the role of bamboo and rattan in South-South cooperation, green growth and mitigation of climate change, and land restoration. Sessions will highlight recent technology innovations and industry development. Field visits to various sites in China are offered following the conference.
INBAR advocates for the use of bamboo and rattan as a low-carbon, renewable resource, and promotes standards and capacity building within the industry in relation to planting, harvest, certification, construction and other aspects. The group estimates that the global bamboo industry is worth US$30 billion a year, and employs almost 10 million workers. The INBAR Secretariat is located in China, and regional offices are in Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana and India. In 2017 the Secretariat collaborated with the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) to publish a report on INBAR’s cooperation arrangements and the impacts of its work.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital web coverage and daily reports from BARC 2018. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, will publish a summary report from this Conference on Saturday, 30 June 2018.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera
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