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NEWS - Inbar foundation sets Beijin



Inbar foundation sets Beijing roots 

     A CEREMONY to mark the laying of the foundation stone for the
headquarters of the International
     Network for Bamboo and Rattan (Inbar), which was officially
launched on Friday, was held in Beijing
     on Saturday. 

     Beijing Mayor Jia Qinglin addressed the ceremony, saying that as
the host city Beijing will provide as
     much support as possible to the construction and operation of the
first China-based international
     organization. 

     He also expressed the hope that more international organizations
would set up their headquarters
     and branches in China's capital. 

     Gordon S. Smith, first chairman of the Inbar board and also
chairman of the Canada-based
     International Development Research Centre (IDRC), expressed his
thanks to the related Chinese
     departments for their support. 

     The network, he said, will play an integral part in the greater use
of bamboo and rattan resources,
     which should contribute to the world's economic development,
poverty relief and ecological
     conservation. 

     He said bamboo and rattan, with an annual world output value of $14
billion, are of special
     significance in creating jobs for rural women. 

     Inbar is an independent, non-profit, inter-governmental
international organization with full legal status.
     The network aims mainly to support the research and development of
bamboo and rattan resources
     so as to make greater and better use of these two natural
resources. 

     The institution vowed to initiate a second "green revolution," a
double revolution to green the earth as
     well as to ensure the food supply. 

     As important forestry products in tropic and sub-tropic areas,
bamboo and rattan are fast-growing,
     high-yielding, profitable and ecologically friendly. They are
expected to help promote the sustainable
     development of countries, especially developing ones, in tropical
and sub-tropical areas. 

     Wang Zhibao, China's vice-minister of forestry, was elected to
chair the Inbar Council. 

     Jiang Zehui, president of China's Academy of Forestry Sciences, was
elected as co-chairperson of
     Inbar's board of trustees, and IDRC's Cherla B. Sastry appointed
secretary-general. 

     Jiang pointed out that Inbar, as the first Beijing-based
multilateral organization with the characteristic
     of globalization, is expected to act as a precedent for future such
institutions in China. 

     Following international practices, the Chinese Government will
supply privilege, diplomatic immunity
     and other preferential conditions, according to Jiang. 

     The agreement to set up the international network was signed on
Thursday in Beijing by nine
     government representatives from Bangladesh, Canada, China,
Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal,
     Philippines, Peru and Tanzania. 

     China is the world's biggest producer and user of bamboo and
rattan. (CD - Xinhua)

     Date: 11/10/97
     Author: Chen Chunmei
     Copyright© by China Daily