Partnerships |
| International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) |
The International
Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) headquartered in Beijing, the
People's Republic of China, is a non-profit, inter-governmental international
organization established by treaty in November 1997. INBAR is the sole
international organization focusing entirely on development issues related
to bamboo and rattan, two key non-timber forest resources with great
economic potentials for environmental conservation, poverty eradication
and industrial development. |
INBAR's membership
is open to all sovereign States under the United Nations system. As
of February 2005, INBAR's Establishment Agreement has been acceded by
30 countries. |
INBAR has been
instrumental in the establishment of CIBART, as an independent, non-profit,
technical organization for the development of the bamboo sector in India,
and especially facilitate rural community linkages. From its inception,
CIBART has been carrying out a number of INBAR projects in various parts
of India. |
Motivated by
their common interest in the use of bamboo and rattan for poverty alleviation
through generation of sustainable employment and livelihood opportunities,
INBAR and CIBART formalized their partnership through an agreement signed
by both parties in August 2005. The agreement will be in effect for
three years, and can b extended by mutual consent. |
Under this agreement,
CIBART and INBAR have resolved to collaborate to ensure that interdisciplinary
or multi-disciplinary activities are well coordinated among the two
parties to achieve greatest positive impact on the development of the
bamboo and rattan sectors in India. Both organizations will work towards
strengthening collaborative research and training activities on bamboo
and rattan-based sustainable employment and livelihood opportunities,
and promote exchange of information through workshops, meetings and
publications. |
| CIBART
is implementing INBAR’s Livelihood Development projects in several
Indian states such as Manipur, Tripura, Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. |
| INBAR-CIBART-IGNOU-COL Distance Learning Programme |
| In October 2004, CIBART
has signed a MoU with the Indira Gandhi National Open University
(IGNOU), Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and INBAR
for launching an employment-focused bamboo and rattan open learning system
program for the rural youth of Asia, Africa and Latin America. IGNOU is
a leading central University for distance learning with headquarters in
Delhi. COL is a Vancouver-based inter-governmental organization created
by Commonwealth Heads of State to encourage the development and sharing
of open learning knowledge, resources and technologies. |
| The purpose of this programme
is to create job creators, not job seekers. |
| Awareness and certificate
courses will be offered through a mix of study material and hands-on training.
Initially the awareness courses and certificate courses in bamboo and
rattan will be offered for India. Subsequently these will be adapted to
other Asian, African and Latin American countries through the linkages
available through INBAR, IGNOU and COL with necessary adaptation. While
the awareness course will set the foundation, the certification course
will be a mix of compulsory and elective courses with the objective of
successful bamboo and cane enterprise development. |
| Uttaranchal Bamboo and Fibre Development Board (UBFDB) |
| UBFDB, set up in 2003
with Dehradun as its base, is Uttaranchal’s nodal agency for bamboo
and fibre development activities. Its objectives include managing natural
bamboo forests, promoting cultivation of bamboo and useful fibres under
Van Panchayat, ongoing watershed projects, joint forest management and
reserved forests, developing standards for new generation bamboo products
and providing standardization of machines and tools required for bamboo
product development. |
| CIBART is providing technical
support and plantation material to UBFDB. It had also undertaken a Roadmap
Study for UBFDB on the development of bamboo-based economic development.
CIBART is the implementing agency for INBAR’s five-year, Rs 54.6
million (approx. US$1.3 million) bamboo-based livelihood development project
for Uttaranchal. |
| Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) |
| Jan Shikshan
Sansthan (JSS) is an autonomous body funded by the Ministry of Human
Resource Development to train labourers and their children for skill upgrading.
JSS is conceived as an institute for conducting skill upgrading in non-formal,
adult and continuing education programs. It also provides academic and
technical resource support to district literacy programs in both urban
and rural areas. The polyvalent approach attempts to provide knowledge
and skills in an integrated manner and rests on the principles that: a
worker/neo-literate must have continuous access to education and training
throughout life; each program should be need-based; and, since needs vary
widely, programs have to be diversified, flexible and adaptable to varying
situations. |
| In Kudal, Maharashtra,
CIBART is working with the JSS for training the buruds, the traditional
mat- and basket-weaving community in the west of India, for their knowledge
and skill improvement in working with bamboo. Buruds are considered among
the earliest tribes to settle in India. |
| Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute
(IPIRTI) |
| IPIRTI is an autonomous
body under the Ministry of Environment & Forest, Government of India.
The Institute is a recognized centre of expertise with an exhaustive source
of data and information in the area of wood science and technology, with
particular reference to wood-based panels. IPIRTI carries out research
to enlarge service life of wood and wood products, optimize wood volume
in end use and reduce wastage in conversion as well as in application.
It provides expert input on standardization of wood and wood products,
and advices the industry and government agencies on policy issues relating
to development of mechanical wood industry. IPIRTI also imparts training
to improve skills, upgrade product quality and optimize production cost. |
| CIBART has worked in
collaboration with IPIRTI in training architects in the construction on
bamboo houses, and seeks its expertise in bamboo panel boards where needed. |
| RMSI Private Limited |
| Based on need, CIBART
ropes in the services of RMSI, one of the leading global
providers of geospatial data and software services. RMSI, headquartered
at NOIDA (near New Delhi), is dedicated to providing four lines of IT
services to clients worldwide: geospatial services and solutions (GIS
consulting, geospatial software applications, remote sensing, spatial
modelling and analysis, geocoding, etc.), application software services
(development, maintenance, testing, application, etc.), data engineering
(extraction, conversion, analysis, processing and indexing), and modelling
and analytics (risk modelling, disaster risk management and analytical
services). |
| RMSI’s services
were used in the INBAR Livelihood Development programs that CIBART implemented
in Tamenglong and Uttaranchal. |
| Global NTFP Partnership Programme |
| The Global
Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) Partnership aims to link global,
regional, and national organizations currently engaged in research and
development activities concerning the systematic conservation and management
of NTFPs in four regions: Africa, East and Southeast Asia, Latin America,
and South Asia. Leveraging a regionally-focused global network, the NTFP
Partnership will raise the profile of NTFPs and enhance capacities, relevance
and effectiveness of partners, producers and all other stakeholders. With
currently 22 members from different stakeholder constituencies (Private
Sector, NGOs, NARS, IARCs, Intergovernmental Organizations, Commodity
Bodies, and UN Specialized Agencies) and in all regions of the developing
world as well as in Europe, the Partnership is in a position to mobilize
formidable knowledge and technical resources. Through local investments
in marketing, management, and policy research relevant to NTFP production,
the Partnership will aim to create a virtuous cycle where success breeds
greater interest, and greater interest breeds further success. |
| Tripura University |
| CIBART signed a MoU with
Tripura University in January 2007 towards broadening
their mutual academic, scientific and pedagogical relations and co-operation
in the interest of contributing to the development of Human Resources
in bamboo and ancillary disciplines. Towards this end, it has been mutually
agreed to start educational programmes in bamboo for youth, unskilled
or semi-skilled workers at large and those who are already working in
different projects and organizations in Tripura. Tripura University is
a Central University (India) and is located at Agartala, Tripura. |
| Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship |
| CIBART signed a MoU with
Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) in 2007 towards
broadening their mutual technical assistance and development activities
in the interest of contributing to the development of bamboo and rattan
sector in India. Towards this end, it has been mutually agreed to start
collaborative Programmes in bamboo and cane with youth, skilled, and semi-skilled
artisans at large and those who are already working in different projects
and organizations in North-East, and later upscale it to the rest of India. |
| IIE is a non-profit autonomous
organization under the ministry of Small Scale Industries of Government
of India, registered on 22nd March, 1993 under the Societies Registration
Act, 1860, with its headquarters’ situated in Lalmati, Basistha
Chariali, Guwahati-29, India. |
