Event: Biotrade and Green Economy Week in Nepal
Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Nepalese Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MOCS), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) organized Biotrade and Green Economy week in Nepal from May 31 to June 3, 2011 as part of UNEP’s Capacity Building for Biotrade Project (CBBT). The Biotrade and Green Economy week was organized with the aim to identify potential areas of investments and relevant policies for sustainable and profitable trade of natural products.
Participants representing policy makers, civil society and business leaders from Nepal, Namibia and Peru took part in the four day program. Speaking at the opening function, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Sushil Jung Bahadur Rana said, “Natural and biodiversity based products help farmers achieve economic independence and contribute to reduce poverty.” The second day event of the workshop for stakeholders from export and trade sector “Biotrade: A Business Perspective”, was inaugurated by Mr. Suraj Baidya, President of the Federation of the Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also inaugurated an exhibition stall of the bioproducts that are produced by the Nepalese private sectors on the same day. The third day of the workshop included two events. The first event included a consultation meeting with decision-makers from public and private sector organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies. The second event included a media workshop started with a presentation from a Journalist Sushil Mainali, Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) and then followed by discussion with journalists working in Environment and Economy fields. The workshop concluded on June 3 with a debriefing meeting with the Bilateral and Multilateral Development Partners.