On June 25-27, the Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress was held in Beijing, China. The conference was hosted by the International Center for Bamboo and Rattan (ICBR), and co-organized by the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR), and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of the People’s Republic of China (NFGA).

The GGGI China team also attended and co-organized two parallel sessions on Bamboo and Rattan for the Belt and Road Initiative, and Bamboo for Green and Resilient Future Cities. Several government representatives from Cambodia, Canada, China, Ethiopia, and the Netherlands were invited to share their national experiences and thoughts on the use of bamboo and rattan as sustainable resources for urbanization and economic development.

Ms. Hyoeun Jenny Kim, GGGI’s Deputy Director-General and Head of Green Growth Planning and Implementation Division also gave a keynote speech, introducing GGGI’s approaches to green cities and green growth.

The Congress also included high-level dialogues that focused on bamboo and rattan’s role in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The discussions also focused on South-South Cooperation, climate change, green growth, technological innovations as well as industry development. Four field excursions followed a large number of more specific discussions and side events related to China’s central bamboo production regions.

More than 1,200 participants from across the globe came together to address the pressing global issues. The Congress offered supplementary exhibitions that highlighted bamboo and rattan products, technologies, arts, and culture that all took place during the 3-day congress.

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