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The United Nations General Assembly declared 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres 22 January 2009

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres. IYNF 2009 aims to highlight the importance, significance and continuing relevance of a sector that produces close to 30 million tonnes of natural fibres worth some $40 billion annually.
The International Year of Natural Fibres will be officially launched at 11 a.m. (CET) on 22 January 2009, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome.
The objectives are to:
Raise awareness and stimulate demand for natural fibres;
Promote the efficiency and sustainability of the natural fibres industries;
Encourage appropriate policy responses from governments to the problems faced by natural fibre industries;
Foster an effective and enduring international partnership among the various natural fibres industries.