APFORGEN and partners have established a Regional Training Centre on Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) in response to the Global Plan of Action on Forest Genetic Resources that calls for strengthening educational and research capacities on FGR to ensure adequate technical support for related development programs (Strategic Priority 21). Establishing the Training Centre was part of the implementation of APFORGEN's strategy for 2104 - 2016 and the work plan of its Working Group on Mobilizing Support for FGR. 

The training centre provides training workshops and distance learning opportunities for trainers, policy makers, forest managers and researchers on the conservation and management of forest genetic resources (FGR). The training aims to support better integration of FGR management into relevant national and international policies, strategies and legislation, including on climate change, forest restoration and food security and livelihoods.

The initiative is led by Professor Zheng Yongqi of the Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, and funded by China Happy Ecology Industrial Co., Ltd., a pioneering company in the field of ecological restoration and tree breeding for salinity resistance, erosion control and landscaping. Other collaborators are the National Forest Genetic Resources Platform of China, Bioversity International and the Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI).