Traditional Knowledge Bulletin |
- Meeting review: WIPO IGC-23
- Meeting review: First Global Indigenous Peoples' Forum at IFAD
- Resource: UNU-IAS report on TK and biodiversity
- Resource: UNU-IAS report on REDD+ and community forest management in Asia
- Resource: UNDRIP for indigenous adolescents
- This week in review … Workshop highlights the role of custodian farmers to agrobiodiversity conservation
- Resource: Book on the indigenous space and marginalized peoples in the UN
- This week in review … Ancestral land of Koongarra in Australia incorporated into Kakadu National Park to bar uranium mining
Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:56 AM PST WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore: 23rd session WIPO IGC-23 resulted in further streamlining the draft text of an international legal instrument on intellectual property and genetic resources, which will be submitted to the WIPO Geneval Assembly, to be held from 23 September – 2 October 2013. However, several brackets remain indicating delegates' divergent opinions on key issues under negotiation. The approximately 10-page streamlined text covers issues including: definition of main terms; policy objectives; subject matter of protection; beneficiaries; the scope of the instrument; sanctions and remedies; and international cooperation. The text bears a large number of brackets, indicating divergent opinions on issues such as mandatory disclosure of origin versus defensive protection, derivatives of genetic resources, the scope of the instrument, and the relationship with other international agreements, particularly the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR). Four new documents were submitted shortly before or during the session: an information document from Norway on the disclosure requirement in Norwegian law; a joint recommendation on genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, submitted by Canada, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea and the US; a proposal for terms of reference for a study by the WIPO Secretariat on measures related to the avoidance of the erroneous grant of patents and compliance with existing ABS systems, submitted by Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US; and a joint recommendation on the use of databases for the defensive protection of genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, submitted by Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US. In accordance with its mandate, the IGC conducts text-based negotiations with the objective of reaching agreement on a text(s) of an international legal instrument(s) which will ensure the effective protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. The WIPO General Assembly will take stock of progress made and decide on convening a Diplomatic Conference. According to the 2013 work programme, the next IGC session, scheduled 22-26 April 2013, will focus on traditional knowledge, while IGC 25, to be held from 15-24 July 2013, will address traditional cultural expressions. In addition, the final session will further review and take stock of all the texts(s) of the international legal instrument(s), and make a recommendation to the WIPO General Assembly. Read the TK Bulletin post of 6 February providing a mid-week update … Read the final update by the WIPO Secretariat … Download the IGC 23 decisions [pdf] … Visit the meeting's website, including links to documents … Read the IP Watch update of 8 February … Read the final article on IGC 23 by IP Watch … |
Meeting review: First Global Indigenous Peoples' Forum at IFAD Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:54 AM PST First Global Indigenous Peoples' Forum at IFAD Held in conjunction with the 36th session of the Governing Body of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the first Global Indigenous Peoples' Forum at IFAD ended with participants' pledge to protect, respect and promote self-driven development to ensure that rural and agricultural growth is synonymous with the preservation of indigenous culture and identity. Leading up to the forum, IFAD and its partners in indigenous communities conducted a series of consultations, including regional workshops, which identified two priority areas: increasing full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in the design and implementation of IFAD-supported projects; and building the capacity of indigenous peoples' organizations. At the forum, among the many issues discussed was indigenous peoples' right to own and manage ancestral territories. Forum participants will be synthesizing their findings and discussions into an action plan and declaration, to be presented to the IFAD Governing Council on 13 February. The 36th session of the Governing Council convenes on 13-14 February 2013, with a focus on the power of partnerships to reduce poverty and ensure food security in rural communities worldwide. Read IFAD's press release on the Indigenous Peoples' Forum … Further information on the Governing Council … |
Resource: UNU-IAS report on TK and biodiversity Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:52 AM PST Innovation in Local and Global Learning Systems for Sustainability: Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity: Learning contributions of the Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development This book includes case studies on biodiversity and traditional knowledge provided by several Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs). The RCEs were developed as sites for participatory learning and action within the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, opening up more collaborative and inclusive learning spaces towards more just and sustainable ways of life. The case studies examined in this publication are characterized by local expertise being brought together for transformative learning. Be it the biocultural approaches or the contexts of today's policymaking, the case studies demonstrate the need for three key approaches to ensure education for sustainable development is successful. First, the need for 'learning by doing', second, the value of learning from practitioners and third, the importance of collective interventions. The case studies provide an important reality check on the way traditional and indigenous knowledge on biodiversity is being increasingly widely recognized in a variety of social, cultural, economic and environmental contexts. The book also demonstrates further the interlinkages between biological and cultural diversity and raises important questions for further research and for the development of policies which can be better reflective of a more integrated approach to dealing with biodiversity i.e. an approach which takes the cultural element of sustainable development into due account. It is argued that the education and learning experiences conducted in the context of the RCEs reveal how artificial separating biodiversity knowledge from culture can be. It is only through a process of co-learning among all stakeholders concerned with biodiversity – each representing a cultural perspective – that appropriate biodiversity and ecosystem services policies can be co-designed. Download the publication [pdf] … |
Resource: UNU-IAS report on REDD+ and community forest management in Asia Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:50 AM PST Governing the Forests: An Institutional Analysis of REDD+ and Community Forest Management in Asia This report aims to serve as a useful reference for policymakers, professionals and practitioners as they work to promote REDD+ in ways that tackle climate change and biodiversity loss but also respect concerns and listen to the voice of local stakeholders. It presents a background on REDD+, explores ways to link REDD+ to community forestry, and provides lessons learned and recommendations. The report explores case studies from Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, focusing on successful examples of forest-based climate change mitigation at the community level, and the role of public-private partnerships for community forestry and REDD+. Each presents a different system of forest governance, with varying degrees of community management and success. In reviewing the case studies, the authors conclude that local systems will be a key to the successful outcome of any global efforts for carbon payment schemes in developing countries. Linking community forestry and REDD+ can deliver multiple benefits from climate change mitigation and adaptation, livelihood development and strengthened sustainable forest management (SFM). Criteria for success identified in the report include: linking community forests to international regimes, including those aimed at addressing climate change, promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, as well as building strong local institutions for forest management; connecting carbon management to local forest management practices and economic activities; establishing community benefit sharing; and clarifying land tenure and resource use rights. The report also emphasizes the importance of strong monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, not only as it relates to carbon accounting and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but also with regard to the participation of interested parties in decisions regarding the sharing of benefits arising from payments for ecosystem services, and overall forest management. Download the report [pdf] … |
Resource: UNDRIP for indigenous adolescents Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:48 AM PST United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for indigenous adolescents This adolescent-friendly version of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples aims to make indigenous adolescents knowledgeable on issues important to them and to support their active participation in decision-making processes to secure their rights. It provides background information on the international indigenous rights movement and the importance of the Declaration, and summarizes its articles to highlight their essence. Download the publication [pdf] … |
This week in review … Workshop highlights the role of custodian farmers to agrobiodiversity conservation Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:45 AM PST Custodian farmers hold key to agricultural biodiversity conservation NEW DELHI, INDIA: A workshop held in New Delhi, India, from 11-12 February 2013 is bringing together 22 tropical fruit tree farmers from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal and Thailand, to share common experiences and challenges related to conserving and using biodiversity on the farm, while researchers will be presenting related case studies. The purpose of the meeting, hosted by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNEP and Bioversity International, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources and the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority, was to: develop deeper understanding of the roles of custodian farmers in conservation, use and dissemination of agricultural biodiversity; highlight their contribution to the national plant genetic resources system and overall sustainable agriculture development; and raise the visibility and recognition of custodian farmers in the genetic resource management field. The workshop will be followed by a three-day global consultation on the use and management of agrobiodiversity for sustainable food security. Read the press release … Further information on the global consultation on agricultural biodiversity for sustainable food security … |
Resource: Book on the indigenous space and marginalized peoples in the UN Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:41 AM PST The Indigenous Space and Marginalized Peoples in the United Nations This book analyzes how the indigenous space has been constructed within the confines of the UN. It argues that indigenous peoples in the UN have achieved more than any other group of people, minorities included, and traces this to the ability of indigenous peoples to create consensus among themselves; the establishment of an indigenous caucus; and the construction of a global indigenousness in a continuously developing process in which contentious relationships and symbols have been constructed, reformulated, negotiated and re-negotiated internally and with the states. In this process "indigenous peoples" have developed as a category and an evolving concept. The author further looks into the ability of different indigenous representatives to make an impact on the UN processes and use achievements for purposes at home. Further information … |
This week in review … Ancestral land of Koongarra in Australia incorporated into Kakadu National Park to bar uranium mining Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:37 AM PST Australia Places Aboriginal Land in Park to Bar Uranium Mining CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA: After 34 years of campaigning to keep uranium mining out of their ancestral land of Koongarra, traditional owners witnessed the introduction of a bill repealing the Koongarra Project Area Act – a 1979 law excluding Koongarra from the original boundaries of Kakadu National Park because of its potential to be the site for a uranium mine. Koongarra is an area of native woodland of great environmental and cultural significance, now incorporated within the boundaries of Kakadu National Park, 171 kilometers southeast of the territorial capital, Darwin. The Koongarra uranium deposit is estimated at about 14,000 tonnes. Mining companies, most recently the French company AREVA, have been trying to mine the deposit for decades despite the opposition of traditional owners. Read the article … |
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