2009 has been proclaimed the International Year of Natural Fibres. The Year is to be coordinated by FAO, under the guidance of an international steering committee, and FAO is seeking funding for its activities. But most of the activities will be initiated, planned and funded by individual organizations around the world. Organizations with an interest in natural fibres are urged to develop their own plans for 2009.
Objectives of the International Year of Natural Fibres 2009
The objectives of the IYNF have been proposed as:
- To raise awareness and stimulate demand for natural fibres;
- To encourage appropriate policy responses from governments to the problems faced by natural fibre industries;
- To foster an effective and enduring international partnership among the various natural fibres industries;
- To promote the efficiency and sustainability of the natural fibres industries.
In pursuing these objectives, the IYNF will contribute to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) number 1 (in attacking poverty and hunger), number 7 (in contributing to environmental sustainability), and number 8 (in promoting the formation of an international partnership).
All players in the natural fibres industries should benefit from the International Year of Natural Fibres, including particularly the farmers and the exporting countries. Processors, manufacturers and others in the chain will also benefit. There will be environmental/health benefits in consuming as well as producing countries, from increased awareness and increased use of natural fibres.
Planning and Organization
The International Year will be in 2009, but planning and coordination activities need to move forward rapidly through 2008.
The IYNF will be subject to the general guidance of an International Steering Committee, and under the technical responsibility of an IYNF Coordination Unit in FAO.
The success of the IYNF will depend on a partnership of various natural fibre groups working together. There are a number of such groups, each concerned with an individual natural fibre. Inter-Governmental bodies, such as the International Cotton Advisory Committee and the International Jute Study Group, actively work to support the fibres which they cover. FAO embodies some of the international bodies which are involved in the IYNF, including the Intergovernmental Group on Hard Fibres and the Intergovernmental Group on Jute, Kenaf and Allied Fibres. There are other groups, mainly non-Governmental, with interests in various fibres, such as the International Wool Textile Organisation, which include those representing farmer/producers, as well as traders, processors and textile manufacturers. One of the objectives of the proposed exercise is to assist in forming closer links between the various bodies covering the diverse range of fibres. Thus an international partnership has come together to serve as a steering committee for the IYNF, and has met a number of times since its first meeting late in 2005. This Committee will provide guidance to FAO through to the end of 2009.
FAO is to coordinate and lead the IYNF, working in close cooperation with an International Steering Committee. FAO's role is primarily to communicate information about natural fibres and the IYNF, to provide communication content and material to partner organizations and to coordinate activities to be undertaken by international and national fibre organizations.
FAO proposes to undertake the following activities:
- Maintaining contact and liaising with relevant organizations in various countries, provide encouragement, support and coordination to partner organizations conducting IYNF activities;
- Preparing and disseminating information on the IYNF;
- Developing and maintaining the IYNF website, incorporating promotional material, calendar of events, international partnership;
- Official opening ceremony, November/December 2008;
- Publication of a book, hold an international conference, on natural fibres.
IYNF Events
The calendar of events for 2009 is now taking shape. Events which have already been indicated include:
- Frankfurt: June 2009: The annual Congress of the International Wool Textile Organisation will be held parallel to the TECHTEXTIL fair of Messe Frankfurt, and will contain a special "Natural Fibre Day" as a tribute to the IYNF 2009;
- Mumbai, India: a conference in either December 2008 or January 2009;
- Sao Paolo, Brazil, in July 2009: a technical conference;
- Poland June 2008: a half-day conference-debate will be organised with Eurocoton;
- Poland, 2009: The 10th International Cotton Conference in Gdynia, Poland will be dedicated to the IYNF.
Organizations with an interest in natural fibres are encouraged to initiate their own events to celebrate 2009. All sorts of events could be arranged — scientific conferences, exhibitions, textile art, publish a book, competitions for kids, etc.
Watch the IYNF website for details as they develop.
Funding
FAO is seeking funding for its role in coordinating and providing support to IYNF activities. For International Years in the past FAO received donations of $200,000 to $500,000 from each of various member countries. While a budget of around two million dollars for a thorough effort has been developed, a somewhat smaller amount would nevertheless allow considerable achievements to be made. In the absence of such funding, the Year would lack the impact which a better coordinated event might have.
The Institutional Background
The United Nations General Assembly, in December 2006, carried a resolution proclaiming the year 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres, following a request from the Thirty-third Session of FAO Conference. It invited FAO to facilitate the observance of the Year, in collaboration with Governments, regional and international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and relevant organizations of the United Nations system.
Since 1959, the UN has designated International Years to draw attention to major issues and to encourage international action to address concerns.
More than one International Year may be declared in any one calendar year. Some recent examples are:
| 2009: | International Year of Astronomy International Year of Reconciliation International Year of Natural Fibres (coordinated by FAO) |
| 2008: | International Year of Sanitation International Year of the Reef International Year of the Potato (coordinated by FAO) International Year of Languages |
| 2007: | International Year of the Dolphin International Year of Planet Earth (2007 – 2009) |
| 2006: | International Year of Deserts and Desertification |
| 2005: | International Year of Sport and Physical Education International Year of Microcredit International Year of Physics |
| 2004: | International Year of Rice (coordinated by FAO) |
| 2002: | International Year of Mountains (coordinated by FAO) |
A Note on Natural Fibres
There is a diverse range of natural fibres produced by farmers throughout the world. Natural fibres come primarily from plants and from animals (asbestos, a mineral fibre is of no significance in textiles). Plant fibres may be seed hairs, such as cotton; bast (stem) fibres, such as linen; leaf fibres, such as sisal; and husk fibres, such as coconut. Animal fibres are mainly wool, hair, or fur, or secretions such as silk.
Close to 30 million tonnes of natural fibres are produced annually in the world. Cotton is the main one with 20 million tonnes, wool and jute each around 2 to 3 million tonnes followed by a number of others.
Most countries produce some natural fibres. For some developing countries natural fibres are of major economic importance, for example, cotton in some west African countries, jute in Bangladesh and sisal in Tanzania. In other cases natural fibres are of major local importance within the country, for example, jute in West Bengal (India) and sisal in north-east Brazil. Proceeds from the sale and export of natural fibres often contribute significantly to the income and food security of poor farmers and processors in the least developed countries.
The uses of natural fibres range from high priced apparel to industrial applications and in most if not all of these applications they are subject to competition from synthetic substitutes.
Since the widespread use of synthetic fibres developed from the 1960s, natural fibres have faced increased competition in the market, and in many cases traditional markets have been eroded or have disappeared. Natural fibres thus face the challenge of developing and maintaining markets where they can compete effectively with synthetics. In same cases this has involved defining and promoting market niches; in others, basic R&D is needed to develop new technologies to facilitate the use of natural fibres in new applications where their natural advantages allow them to compete effectively with synthetics.
Natural fibres are generally considered to be more environmentally friendly than synthetics in their production and disposal. However, there are areas where these industries are not as environmentally clean as they might be, for example, in the use of agrochemicals on fibre crops in some countries, and the contamination of water as a result of retting. The International Year of Natural Fibres will emphasise the environmental advantages of these fibres, while seeking at the same time to promote greater realisation of their clean potential.
