Traditional Knowledge Bulletin |
- This week in review … International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
- Resource: UNPFII Message Stick
- This week in review … CBD news of relevance to indigenous peoples and TK
- This week in review … UN Special Rapporteur issues report on extractive industries and indigenous peoples
- This week in review … SciDev.Net article draws attention to UNESCO LINKS programme
- This week in review … World Agroforestry Centre releases brochure on local knowledge in agroforestry systems
- Resource: Norwich Declaration on Environmental Justice
This week in review … International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples Posted: 13 Aug 2013 03:04 AM PDT International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 2013 This year's International Day theme was "Indigenous peoples building alliances: Honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements." The theme aims to highlight the importance of honouring agreements between States, their citizens and indigenous peoples, emphasizing the principles of friendship, co-operation and peace. A special programme of activities took place at UN Headquarters in New York, US. At the opening, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the post-2015 development agenda should incorporate the rights, perspectives and needs of indigenous peoples, who have made clear that they want development that takes into account culture and identity and the right to define their priorities. UN Assistant Secretary-General Shamshad Akhtar, on behalf of Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo, called on everyone to adopt a stronger level of commitment to implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Paul Kanyinke Sena, Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), stressed the need to address injustices of the past, especially in the post-colonial context of nation building, calling for greater efforts in Africa, and highlighting that honouring treaties, agreements and other arrangements allows for conflicting notions of territoriality, cultural practice and ideas of development to be reconciled for the greater common good. UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay noted that "even when signed or otherwise agreed more than a century ago, many treaties remain the cornerstone for the protection of the identity, land and customs of indigenous peoples, determining the relationship they have with the State." CBD Executive Secretary Braulio de Souza Dias provided an overview of instruments developed under the Convention related to traditional knowledge, noting they will all contribute to the achievement of Aichi target 18 – that by 2020, the traditional knowledge of indigenous and local communities and their customary use of biological resources are respected and fully integrated and reflected in the implementation of the Convention, with the full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities. Irina Bokova, Director-General, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that global sustainability must build on local foundations reflecting the views and needs of local communities, including indigenous peoples; and highlighted UNESCO's leadership of inter-agency work to include indigenous knowledge in the 2014 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). WIPO Director General Francis Gurry stressed that indigenous peoples and local communities have a direct stake in the negotiations underway at WIPO with the objective of reaching agreement on an international legal instrument/s which will ensure the effective protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya stressed that the right of indigenous peoples to recognition and enforcement of treaties, agreements and other constrictive arrangements is a key right recognized in UNDRIP. The International Land Coalition affirmed the role of indigenous peoples as custodians of land, water and biodiversity, and highlighted the 2013 Antigua Declaration, which expresses concern over land grabbing and criminalization of customary forms of land and resource use. Visit the Day's webpage, including links to programme and statements … |
Resource: UNPFII Message Stick Posted: 13 Aug 2013 03:01 AM PDT The Message Stick This issue contains reports on: the highlights of UNPFII-12; the new UNPFII members appointed for the period 2014-2016; the Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, held in June 2013 in Alta, Norway; the sixth session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; WIPO IGC-25; the thematic debate on inequality by the UN General Assembly; and the indigenous expert workshop on intellectual property and genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, held from 19-21 April 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland. Download the newsletter [pdf] … |
This week in review … CBD news of relevance to indigenous peoples and TK Posted: 13 Aug 2013 02:58 AM PDT Side-events in the eighth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions, Montreal, Canada, from 7 to 11 October 2013 MONTREAL, CANADA: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) encourages the organization of side-events for the eighth meeting of the CBD Working Group on Article 8(j) (traditional knowledge), which further enrich the discussions on items on the agenda of this meeting. Requests should be made using the online side-event submission system available on the Secretariat's web site at: http://www.cbd.int/register/home.shtml. The deadline for the receipt of requests is 3 September 2013. Download the notification [pdf] … Selected ILC representatives to receive funding from the Voluntary Fund for participation in the eighth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions and SBSTTA 17 MONTREAL, CANADA: The CBD Secretariat has circulated the list of beneficiaries of financial assistance in support of their participation in the eighth meeting of the CBD Working Group on Article 8(j), to be held from 7-11 October 2013 in Montreal, and the seventeenth meeting of the Convention's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 17), to be held from 14-18 October 2013, in Montreal. The selection was carried out in accordance with the criteria for the operation of the Voluntary Funding Mechanism to facilitate the participation of indigenous and local communities in the work of the Convention. Download the notification [pdf] … Third meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, 24-28 February 2014 MONTREAL, CANADA: In preparation for the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing (ABS), to be held from 24-28 February 2014, in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, the CBD Secretariat has issued a notification inviting indigenous and local community representatives wishing to receive funding from the Voluntary Trust Fund to facilitate their participation in the meeting, to submit their application forms no later than 15 November 2013. The application forms are available at: http://www.cbd.int/traditional/fund.shtml and should be sent to the CBD Secretariat either by fax or by e-mail. Download the notification, including further information [pdf] … Call for contributions to [square brackets] MONTREAL, CANADA: The CBD Secretariat seeks contributions from members of civil society and indigenous and local community organizations for the eighth issue of the CBD newsletter for civil society [square brackets], which is scheduled for publication in October 2013. Produced jointly by the CBD Secretariat and the CBD Alliance, a network of civil society organizations, the newsletter aims to facilitate timely dialogue on cutting edge biodiversity issues from both policy (advocacy and decision-making) and practical (implementation) perspectives. The new edition of [square brackets] will be published to coincide with the eighth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and SBSTTA 17. Articles are sought to address issues to be discussed by the Working Group on Article 8(j) and SBSTTA, including, among others: customary sustainable use; repatriation of information and traditional knowledge for cultural restoration; connecting traditional knowledge systems and science; adequacy of policy support tools and methodologies developed or used under the Convention; adequacy of observations and of data systems for achieving the Aichi biodiversity targets; and scientific and technical assessments of the effectiveness of the Convention's implementation. Submissions are due by 6 September 2013. Download the release [pdf] … |
This week in review … UN Special Rapporteur issues report on extractive industries and indigenous peoples Posted: 13 Aug 2013 02:54 AM PDT Special Rapporteur issues report on extractive industries and indigenous peoples ARIZONA, USA: The annual thematic report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, which he will present to the Human Rights Council in September 2013, addresses issues related to extractive industries and implications that they have for the rights of indigenous peoples. In the report, the Special Rapporteur systematically sets forth a series of observations and recommendations regarding models of natural resource development, the obligations of States, the responsibilities of companies, consultation processes, and the principle of free, prior and informed consent to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, within the context of challenges posed by extractive industries on a global scale. These observations and recommendations build upon the Special Rapporteur's previous reports and draw on information gathered through country visits, seminars, written submission from various sources and independent research. He presents and analyzes the preferred model, resource extraction and development through indigenous peoples' own initiatives and enterprises; the standard scenario, when States or third party business enterprises promote the extraction of natural resources within indigenous territories; and conditions for getting to and sustaining indigenous peoples' agreement to extractive activities promoted by the State or third party business enterprises. The Special Rapporteur invites indigenous peoples, governments, companies, and NGOs to an open dialogue on the report and its recommendations. To this end, the Special Rapporteur will conduct an on-line seminar on his website within the coming weeks and engage in an inter-active dialogue with interested parties in Geneva, during the session of the Human Rights Council. Read the release … Download the report [pdf] … |
This week in review … SciDev.Net article draws attention to UNESCO LINKS programme Posted: 13 Aug 2013 02:51 AM PDT Amplifying the voices of indigenous communities LONDON, UK: The UNESCO LINKS programme brings together the sophisticated and often ancient natural world knowledge held by local and indigenous societies across the globe. Unlocking these unique ways of knowing — including environmental knowledge, philosophy, resource use practice, and ritual — is fundamental to driving development that is both sustainable and appropriate. Douglas Nakashima, section chief of UNESCO LINKS (Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems), argues that the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) should not "reinvent the wheel" but instead recognize and build upon the invaluable networks that have been created to engage traditional knowledge holders — from the unique whale migration insights of the Iñupiaq people in the northwest Arctic, to marine science understanding developed over centuries by communities in the Pacific Islands. Read the article … |
This week in review … World Agroforestry Centre releases brochure on local knowledge in agroforestry systems Posted: 13 Aug 2013 02:48 AM PDT Recognizing local agro-ecological knowledge in sustainable intensification of tree-crop-livestock farming systems NAIROBI, KENYA: The brochure examines farming systems in Ethiopia supported under the "sustainable tree – crop – livestock intensification as a pillar for the Ethiopian climate resilient green economy" initiative. It outlines the many threats facing farming systems in Ethiopia including from land degradation, climate change and increased production demands and examines farmer knowledge with regard to tree, crop and livestock interactions. The brochure notes the usefulness of identifying and addressing local knowledge gaps on certain ecological processes and calls for capacity building and farmer-to-farmer exchanges of experience. It is recommended that local knowledge be integrated into sustainable intensification actions, including through the participation of farmers in project processes. However, it is noted that since local knowledge is so location-specific, care should be taken with regard to its blanket application over a large area or multiple project sites. Download the brochure [pdf] … |
Resource: Norwich Declaration on Environmental Justice Posted: 13 Aug 2013 02:45 AM PDT Norwich Declaration on Environmental Justice This declaration emerged from a workshop on global environmental justice held at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, UK, from 20-22 June 2013. It is signed by an international group of activists, academics and researchers observing that environmental injustices are proliferating across the globe, and are frequently being addressed by governments, multilateral institutions and multinational corporations as problems that can be resolved through technical or monetary means. Calls for environmental justice often relate to recognition of rights to customary resources, territories, cultural difference, fair negotiation processes and fairness in the distribution of benefits and costs, both within society and inter-generationally. It is noted that such narrow understandings of environmental justice normalize the perpetration of injustice, while it is essential to advance an approach to environmental justice founded on fundamental principles of citizenship, political and cultural rights, democratic decentralization, rule of law, access to due juridical processes, and transparent, democratic and accountable governance. Download the declaration [pdf] … |
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