Traditional Knowledge Bulletin |
- Resource: Book on water and cultural diversity
- This week in review … Why TK holds the key to climate change
- Resource: November 2011 issue of SPFII's Message Stick
- Meeting review: 2011 meeting of the UN Inter-agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples Issues
- Announcement: EMRIP call for submissions on indigenous languages and culture
- Resource: Manual on GIs for ACP countries
- This week in review … Article on indigenous cooperatives in Honduras
- This week in review … Articles on TK, indigenous peoples and forests
Resource: Book on water and cultural diversity Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:42 AM PST Water, Cultural Diversity, and Global Environmental Change: Emerging Trends, Sustainable Futures? A product of the UNESCO-IHP project on Water and Cultural Diversity, this book examines the complex role water plays as a force in sustaining, maintaining, and threatening the viability of culturally diverse peoples. It is argued that water is a fundamental human need, a human right, and a core sustaining element in biodiversity and cultural diversity. The core concepts utilized in this book draw upon a larger trend in sustainability science, a recognition of the synergism and analytical potential in utilizing a coupled biological and social systems analysis, as the functioning viability of nature is both sustained and threatened by humans. The book is divided into five parts. Part I explores water's fundamental place in life and articulates the "culture of water" and the environmental consequences of human relationships with water. Part II considers the "culture of water" through an explicit focus on traditional ecological knowledge and water resource management. Part III examines current patterns of water resource management in various ecoregions and geopolitical contexts. Part IV considers the changing and possible future dynamics of intersections between water, biodiversity and cultural diversity, with a critical focus on the lessons learned from the past several decades of hydrodevelopment. Part V sketches out alternative scenarios for the future, arguing that a sustainable approach to water resource development must be one that sustains the cultural and biological diversity of life. Further information … |
This week in review … Why TK holds the key to climate change Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:39 AM PST Why traditional knowledge holds the key to climate change DARWIN, AUSTRALIA: In this article, Gleb Raygorodetsky from the UNU-IAS TK Initiative writes that the very identity of indigenous peoples is inextricably linked with their lands, which are located predominantly at the social-ecological margins of human habitation – such as small islands, tropical forests, high-altitude zones, coasts, desert margins and the circumpolar Arctic. At these margins, the consequences of climate change include effects on agriculture, pastoralism, fishing, hunting and gathering, and other subsistence activities, including access to water. Indigenous peoples however are not mere victims of climate change. With collective knowledge of the land, sky and sea, these peoples are excellent observers and interpreters of change in the environment. The ensuing community-based and collectively-held knowledge offers valuable insights, complementing scientific data with chronological and landscape-specific precision and detail that is critical for verifying climate models and evaluating climate change scenarios developed by scientists at much broader spatial and temporal scale. Moreover, indigenous knowledge provides a crucial foundation for community-based adaptation and mitigation actions that sustain resilience of social-ecological systems at the interconnected local, regional and global scales. Still, indigenous peoples continue to be excluded from the global processes of decision and policymaking such as the UN climate negotiations. The ongoing partnership between the UNU-IAS TKI and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) aims to address gaps in available information on TK and climate change adaptation and mitigation, and to promote respect for TK and the role of indigenous peoples in policy development. Read the article … |
Resource: November 2011 issue of SPFII's Message Stick Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:36 AM PST The Message Stick The latest issue of The Message Stick, the quarterly newsletter of the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII), includes reports on the activities undertaken by the PFII Secretariat and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the draft handbook for parliamentarians on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Policy Board Meeting of the UN Indigenous Peoples Partnership held from 27-28 October 2011 in New York, and developments regarding the UNESCO Indigenous Peoples Policy. Download the issue [pdf] … |
Meeting review: 2011 meeting of the UN Inter-agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples Issues Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:31 AM PST 2011 Annual Meeting of the UN Inter-agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples Issues The main objectives of the UN Inter-agency support group are to strengthen inter-agency cooperation to promote the human rights and well-being of indigenous peoples, including the dissemination and implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); analyze, disseminate and contribute to the implementation of the recommendations of the UNPFII; and provide advice on the mainstreaming of indigenous issues within the UN system. The meeting included sessions on: population dynamics, housing and indigenous peoples; data and indicators for evidence-based policies and programmes; the UNDRIP and advancing legal frameworks for indigenous peoples at country level; a panel on indigenous peoples and the environment towards Rio+20; MDGs, poverty reduction and indigenous peoples; advancing reproductive health and rights of indigenous women, including an intercultural approach to health; gender equality; responding to UNPFII recommendations; and reporting on environmental issues and indigenous peoples, including a report on the Global Registry of Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas and a report on UN REDD and free, prior and informed consent guidelines. Visit the meeting's webpage, including links to presentations … |
Announcement: EMRIP call for submissions on indigenous languages and culture Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:28 AM PST Study on languages and cultures: Call for submissions from indigenous peoples and their organisations The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) is calling for submissions on the role of languages and culture in the protection and promotion of the rights and identity of indigenous peoples, its current mandated study in accordance with Human Rights Council Resolution 18/8 (September 2011). Submissions are welcome from indigenous individuals and peoples and/or their representatives; non-state actors including NGOs; national human rights institutions; and any other relevant stakeholders. Submissions need to be submitted by 17 February 2012 to be taken into account in the Expert Mechanism's study, a draft of which will be finalized in early April 2012 in preparation for the EMRIP's fifth session in July 2012. Please email submissions to Claire Charters at: ccharters@ohchr.org. Further information … |
Resource: Manual on GIs for ACP countries Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:25 AM PST Practical Manual on Geographical Indications for ACP countries Published by two European-based organizations working in agriculture and development, this guide will be launched in the context of the WTO 8th Ministerial Conference, to be held from 15-17 December 2011, and the WIPO Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System (Appellations of Origin) meeting from 12-16 December 2011. The manual explores the key issues concerning geographical indications (GIs), from the most important definitions to the legal options available to protect GIs and the operational aspects of setting-up sustainable GIs. GIs are names that are used to identify and commercialize natural agricultural products and foodstuffs, as well as other traditionally made products such as handicrafts, deeply rooted in a given geographical and cultural environment. Natural factors such as climate, soils, local breeds and plant varieties, and traditional equipment, as well as and human factors such as know-how and traditional knowledge, play a key role in forming the quality, characteristics, and reputation of origin products. So, unlike other methods of IPR protection, GIs are generally based on traditional knowledge generated and transmitted over generations. Download the publication [pdf] … |
This week in review … Article on indigenous cooperatives in Honduras Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:22 AM PST Indigenous Cooperatives Cultivate Success INTIBUCÁ, HONDURAS: In the mountains of the department (province) of Intibucá at a height of 1,850 metres above sea level, some 101 families live in the villages of Monquecagua, Togopala, Dulce Nombre and Candelaria. These communities are home to the country's poorest ethnic groups. Every day the small-scale farmers begin work at dawn, tending their potatoes, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cilantro and other vegetables. Maintaining their ancestral traditions, their plots always include maize and beans, the staple foods of Hondurans. A little over two years ago, they initiated an agricultural business value chain, and it has transformed their view of their future prospects. They were supported by the Access to Land Programme (PACTA – Programa de Acceso a la Tierra) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and the state National Agrarian Institute (INA). Thanks to the quality and freshness of their produce, they are now regular suppliers of seven supermarket chains. This year they won the National Environmental Prize, in the community initiatives category. Read the article … |
This week in review … Articles on TK, indigenous peoples and forests Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:19 AM PST Saving the Forests with Indigenous Knowledge DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA: According to Nigel Crawhall, the Director of Secretariat for the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC), different African communities have incredible indigenous knowledge that they use in the conservation of forests and biodiversity in general, and this should be recognized during the climate negotiations. The Bambuti and Batwa pygmy communities, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, conserve the forest using traditional methods. According to Maasai cultural beliefs, one can only use tree branches for firewood, and fibrous roots for herbs. If the bark of a tree has medicinal value, then only small portions of it can be removed by creating a "V" in the bark. The wound is then sealed using wet soil. Read the article … Indigenous Peoples Call for REDD Moratorium DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA: The new Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities against REDD and for Life issued a statement stating that based on "in-depth investigations, a growing number of recent reports provide evidence that indigenous peoples are being subjected to violations of their rights as a result of the implementation of REDD+-type programs and policies." Read the article … |
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