2009 - International Year of Natural Fibres

FAO resolution
International Year of Natural Fibres

THE CONFERENCE,

Recalling that, following consideration by the Joint Meeting of the Thirty-third Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Hard Fibres and the Thirty-fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Jute, Kenaf and Allied Fibres, and by the Sixty-fifth Session of the Committee on Commodity Problems, the Hundred and Twenty-eighth Session of the FAO Council in June 2005 had endorsed the proposal for an International Year of Natural Fibres;

Noting that natural fibres play an important part in clothing the world's population as well as having traditional and promising new industrial uses;

Recalling that much of the world's natural fibre was produced as a source of cash income by small farmers in low-income and developing countries;

Desiring to focus world attention on the role that income derived from the sale and export of natural fibres plays in contributing to food security and poverty alleviation of the population;

Believing that while the production and consumption of natural fibres offer significant environmental benefits, concerted efforts should be made to ensure that these benefits are not compromised by unsound practices;

Recognizing that there were important potential partnerships among participants in the various natural fibre industries;

Affirming the need to heighten public awareness of the economic and environmental attributes of natural fibres:

1. Requests the Director-General to transmit this Resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations with a view to having the United Nations declare the Year 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres;
2. Further requests the Director-General to inform future sessions of Conference and the Secretary-General of the United Nations of progress in making arrangements, including in securing funding, for the International Year of Natural Fibres and, subsequently, of the results of the Year once concluded.

25 November 2005

Source: http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/en/iynf/background.html