On 6 November 2017, the Celebration of INBAR’s 20th Anniversary Ministerial Forum on Bamboo and Rattan for Green Development and South-South Cooperation was held in Beijing. At the opening ceremony, Prof. Jiang Zehui, Vice-Chair of the Population, Resources and Environment Committee of CPPCC, Co-Chair of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) Board of Trustees, presented the congratulatory letter from Chinese President H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping. H.E. Dr. Mulatu Teshome, President of Ethiopia and H.E. Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, presented their congratulatory message’s videos respectively. Representative from China Office of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, presented the congratulatory letter from Dr. Jose Graziano da Silva, Director General of FAO. Mr. Jia Zhibang, Chair of the Population, Resources and Environment Committee of CPPCC, Mr. Li Baodong, Vice Minister of - Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zhang Jianlong, Director of the State Forestry Administration, H.E. Mr. Antonia Hugh, Ambassador of Jamaica to China, and representative of INBAR Council Chair and Mr. Andrew Bennett, Chair of the INBAR Board of Trustees, attended and addressed the opening ceremony. About 300 participants including ministers, government officials and ambassadors to China from INBAR Member States and delegates from international organizations, think tanks, business community and media participated in the forum.
INBAR has 43 Member States including Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. ACC has carried out sound exchanges with INBAR in recent years and sent representatives to participate in the above-mentioned events.
“South-South in Action Report: Inspiring Sustainable Development with Bamboo”, “The World Checklist of Bamboos and Rattans”, “100 Heroes of China’s Bamboo Industry” and “Congress Statement” were released during the events.