Traditional Knowledge Bulletin |
- Meeting review: ECLAC Conference on population and development adopts Montevideo consensus with special mention to the rights of indigenous peoples
- Resource: UNDRIP manual for national human rights institutions
- This week in review … IP Watch publishes interviews with indigenous groups following the WIPO IGC negotiations
- Meeting prep: UNESCO workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage
- Resource: IIED paper on community-based natural resource management and climate change adaptation in Ethiopia
- Announcement: Amnesty International seeks researcher/advisor on indigenous rights
- This week in review … Indian research institute publishes children's book on medicinal and food plants
Meeting review: ECLAC Conference on population and development adopts Montevideo consensus with special mention to the rights of indigenous peoples Posted: 21 Aug 2013 04:13 AM PDT First session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean Representatives of 38 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean adopted the "Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development," a wide-ranging agreement on priority actions on several issues, including access to sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and the rights of indigenous peoples. In a section entitled "Indigenous Peoples: Interculturalism and Rights," the contribution of indigenous peoples of the region to development and to the conservation of the planet is reaffirmed, noting that all peoples contribute to the diversity and richness of civilizations and cultures, which constitute the common heritage of humanity. The agreement recognizes the urgent need to respect and promote the territorial rights of indigenous peoples as a prerequisite for the development of their identity and autonomy, and the need to protect and respect their collective rights. It is agreed to: respect and implement the provisions of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as ILO Convention no. 169 on indigenous and tribal peoples, adopting legal frameworks and formulating the policies necessary for their implementation, with the full participation of indigenous peoples; guarantee indigenous peoples' right to health, including sexual and reproductive rights, as well as their right to their own traditional medicines and health practices; respect and guarantee the territorial rights of indigenous peoples, with special attention to the challenges presented by extractive industries, and design policies that facilitate free, prior and informed consultation; adopt, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, the measures needed to ensure the protection against all forms of violence and discrimination of indigenous women, boys, girls, adolescents and young people; guarantee indigenous peoples' right to communication and information; and participate actively, with provision for the inclusion of indigenous peoples in national delegations, in the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples to be held in September 2014, as well as in other relevant international forums. Download the consensus [pdf] … |
Resource: UNDRIP manual for national human rights institutions Posted: 21 Aug 2013 04:10 AM PDT The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: a Manual for National Human Rights Institutions This publication aims to further practical implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by promoting increased engagement by one key actor in ensuring that human rights, including indigenous peoples' rights, become a reality: national human rights institutions. As examples contained in this publications show, national human rights institutions can play a crucial role in the protection and promotion of indigenous peoples' rights. Through their legal status and mandate, they have the potential to be strong allies with, and advocates for, indigenous peoples. As conduits between the national, regional and international human rights spheres, national human rights institutions are uniquely placed to contribute to the genuine implementation of the Declaration and the progressive realization of the rights of indigenous peoples. The first part of the publication introduces the background and content of the Declaration, while the second and third parts focus on measures which national human rights institutions can take at the national and international level to protect and promote indigenous peoples' rights. Download the manual [pdf] … |
This week in review … IP Watch publishes interviews with indigenous groups following the WIPO IGC negotiations Posted: 21 Aug 2013 04:07 AM PDT Interviews: What Protection of Traditional Knowledge Means to Indigenous Peoples GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: Intellectual Property Watch conducted interviews with different indigenous groups attending the 15-24 July 2013 session of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). It was the IGC's last session for the biennium, in more than decade-long negotiations tasked with finding agreement on international legal tools to prevent misappropriation and misuse of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. Indigenous peoples and local communities are holders of a substantial part of this knowledge and are demanding that it be protected against misappropriation but also against its use without their consent. Preston Hardison, policy analyst representing the Tulalip Tribes, Jim Walker of the Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action (Australia), and Ronald Barnes of the Indian Council of South America answered questions about the protection of traditional knowledge, on the issue of the public domain, and what would be an optimum result of the IGC. There are some stewardship obligations that go with the knowledge, Hardison said, among others. "When you receive it you don't receive it freely to do whatever you want with it, you have obligations to the land, to whatever it is referring, to the spirits or the ancestors. This is a real problem with the public domain. Tribes have often shared their knowledge in the past but they shared it with people who had similar views and concepts and understood these obligations. But now we are in this world with seven billion people on the internet." Read the article … |
Meeting prep: UNESCO workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage Posted: 21 Aug 2013 04:05 AM PDT Community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage This training workshop is aimed at enhancing the national capacities in the field for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH), in particular ICH inventorying under the 2003 UNESCO Convention on intangible cultural heritage, including the practical technical skills in inventory-making. Experts from Kyrgyzstan will be trained in identifying, defining, inventorying and documenting the ICH. They are in charge of implementing concrete safeguarding activities and conducting training in the management and appropriate transmission of ICH, while undertaking and/or coordinating ICH-related scientific, technical, legal, economic and other studies. The purpose of this session is to raise awareness about the value and diversity of the ICH and ensure community participation and consent in all activities concerning their ICH. Participants will be from governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), communities, institutions and individual experts, with preference to local communities. Further information … Visit the UNESCO ICH website … |
Resource: IIED paper on community-based natural resource management and climate change adaptation in Ethiopia Posted: 21 Aug 2013 04:02 AM PDT The role of community-based natural resource management in climate change adaptation in Ethiopia: Assessing participatory initiatives with pastoral communities This Climate Change Working Paper describes the methodology developed to assess the role of selected community-based/participatory initiatives undertaken by Save the Children with pastoral communities in the lowlands of Borana and Guji zones in Ethiopia in contributing to climate change adaptation. The paper also outlines the results and recommendations generated from applying this methodology at the study sites. Similar sites that also suffered from drought and had the same history of development and humanitarian interventions, but had no Save the Children interventions, were also visited for comparative purposes. Results show that much has been done at the Save the Children sites towards moving from conventional approaches to development (and adaptation to climate variability including disaster risk reduction) to 'transformative development' approaches that empower local people and support bottom-up, participatory, flexible decision-making and planning processes within a strong institutional context. Particular strengths include: responsiveness to the needs of the climate vulnerable poor through an inclusive community approach that respects pastoralist traditions, including benefit sharing mechanisms that reduce livelihood vulnerability and improve coping capacity; district government engagement that supports the revitalization and potential sustainability of upgraded traditional pastoralist rangeland management systems; improved community cohesion through the application of bottom-up participatory approaches leading to a shift in mindset from 'individualism' to 'communal' rangeland and natural resources use, and wider stakeholder solidity across a broader institutional landscape; utilization of participatory resource mapping and community action plans to support collective problem solving and consensus building, including a possible reduction in conflict situations and improvements in perceived system flexibility; community openness to test indigenous knowledge systems with external relevant information-bases supporting learning-by-doing approaches; two-way knowledge exchange on NRM processes, from local government to community, and community to local government; and, increased female inclusiveness in decision-making processes across scales, including the empowerment of women with perceived improvements in the ownership of and right to rangeland and natural resources, coupled with a shift in male mindset on the cultural role and value of women. In stark comparison, the site visited without Save the Children interventions showed that existing pastoralist livelihood systems were no longer producing effective results in light of local changing circumstances, with respondents unable to adapt with change. This suggests that the potential role that development actors, such as Save the Children, can play in the context of building adaptive capacity merits further attention amongst governments and policymakers. Likewise the role that sustainable natural resource management can play as an adaptation strategy, particularly for poor and vulnerable groups, merits further attention when compared to alternative infrastructure or technological adaptation solutions. Read the paper … |
Announcement: Amnesty International seeks researcher/advisor on indigenous rights Posted: 21 Aug 2013 03:59 AM PDT Researcher/Advisor – indigenous rights Amnesty International seeks a specialist researcher to lead research and advocacy work on indigenous rights, based in London, UK. The deadline for applications is 8 September 2013. Further information, including link to application form … |
This week in review … Indian research institute publishes children's book on medicinal and food plants Posted: 21 Aug 2013 03:57 AM PDT Books aimed to protect traditional knowledge KERALA, INDIA: The "Student's Handbook on Medicinal and Food Plants," brought out by Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, details the medicinal properties, chemical constituents, scientific studies, pharmacological findings, food value and tips for further reading on each of the 25 selected plants. It is sure to hold any child's attention with clues such as "My leaves resemble an open umbrella, "I am a memory enhancer" and "My Sanskrit name is Mandookaparni" for what is known as 'Kudangal' in Malayalam and 'Indian pennywort' in English. Beautifully illustrated with excellent photographs, the book is one among the first fruits of a research project on traditional knowledge by Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute titled "Systematic Documentation of Traditional Knowledge related to Plants used for Food, AYUSH and Indigenous Medicine." Read the article … |
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