New resource - Vol 2 of CBD’s Pachamama

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has released the second issue of its Traditional Knowledge newsletter, Pachamama.

This issue includes the following articles:

• Biodiversity: An integral part of our response to climate change (Editorial by Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf)
• International Regime on Access and Benefit-Sharing: Thoughts and reflections from the grassroots
• An indigenous knowledge forum on climate change impacts
• Facing the future: Acting to minimise the consequences of global climate change
• Indigenous peoples and development challenges
• New information and web-based technologies: Arctic Workshop in Quebec, Canada
• Indigenous Peoples, Biodiversity and Climate Change
• The Mohawk
• Climate Change and Biodiversity in Polar Regions
• When things come together… Indigenous and local communities - the human face of climate change
• International Indigenous Caucus on Access and Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity
• Calendar of events

Indigenous and local communities, governments and stakeholders are encouraged to send articles and photos on their implementation, awareness, outreach and relevant activities for inclusion in future issues.

Download the newsletter in PDF…

 

TK at the Permanent Forum - Meeting Review

United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) - Seventh Session Special theme: Climate change, biocultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges
21 April - 2 May 2008 (New York, USA)
Adapted from the UN Press Release

The Permanent Forum, a 16-member subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is mandated chiefly to provide expert advice on indigenous issues to the Council and the United Nations system; raise awareness and promote the integration and coordination of activities relating to indigenous issues within the United Nations system; and prepare and disseminate information on indigenous issues. The special theme for its seventh session was on “climate change, biocultural diversity and livelihoods”.

• Climate Change:

  In a text relating to its special theme, the Permanent Forum recommended that the international community take serious measures to mitigate climate change, as the survival of the traditional ways of life of indigenous peoples depended in large part on the success of those efforts.

  Asserting that the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples should serve as a “key and binding framework” in the formation of plans for development and should be considered fundamental in efforts to curb climate change at all levels, the Forum also called in that text for “urgent, serious and unprecedented action” by the Economic and Social Council, General Assembly and all United Nations bodies and agencies to prevent environmental degradation.

  Stressing that indigenous peoples’ traditional livelihoods and ecological knowledge can significantly contribute to designing and implementing appropriate and sustainable mitigation and adaptation measures, the text also recommended that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and relevant parties develop mechanisms for indigenous peoples’ participation in all aspects of the international climate change dialogue, particularly the forthcoming negotiations for the next Kyoto Protocol commitment period. Specifically, a working group on local adaptation measures and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples should be established.

  In the same vein, the text requested the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to undertake a specific assessment of the opportunities and threats for indigenous peoples arising from current and future strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emission.

  Throughout the two weeks of the Permanent Forum, many indigenous community representatives testified about the injustices associated with the clean development mechanism projects and asked that the Permanent Forum not promote the projects. The Forum noted that some mitigation measures seen as solutions to climate change also had had negative impacts on indigenous peoples and reaffirmed that all actors should respect indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination and to decide on mitigation and adaptation measures in their lands and territories. It also called on States to implement the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to call on transnational corporations to respect those standards.

• Indigenous Languages:

  Noting that, if current trends continue, an estimated 90 per cent of the world’s languages would become extinct within the next 100 years, the Permanent Forum said immediate and effective measures were necessary to prevent the “impending irretrievable loss” of linguistic and cultural diversity and traditional indigenous knowledge caused by such language extinction.

  To that end, the text called on States to immediately support indigenous peoples’ language revitalization efforts, highlighting the processes developed by the Nordic Saami Convention as an example of “good practice” and encouraging Nordic States to adopt those processes. It also invited the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to call jointly for a world conference on linguistic diversity, indigenous languages, identity and education.

• UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:

  Hailing the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly in September 2007 as the beginning of a “new era of renewed partnerships”, the UNPFII pledged its commitment to making the Declaration a “living document” throughout its work.

  Permanent Forum Chairperson Victoria Tauli-Corpuz said the Declaration had been fought for by many indigenous people since the 1970s and was the result of the work of indigenous people from the ground up. As the main framework that the Permanent Forum would use — and one that indigenous peoples had designed and shaped themselves — it “addressed all the pain and cries indigenous peoples had brought to the United Nations”.

  Ms. Tauli-Corpuz added that, coming after adoption of the Declaration, it had been a most remarkable session. Climate change had been a timely theme for this session, as indigenous peoples had largely been kept out of the international dialogue on that issue despite their historical role in resisting oil, gas and coal exploitation and their practice of using their lands, air and forests in sustainable ways, not in pursuit of “giant profits”. Moving forward, corporations, in addition to States, must be guided by the standards set out in the Declaration.

At the closing session, it was decided that economic and social development, indigenous women and second international decade of the world’s indigenous peoples, and Arctic region be the focus of next year’s session while implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples become a permanent item on the forum’s agenda.

Read the Press Release…
Visit the meeting website…

 

This week in review… Equitable access to documentary heritage in Asia [UNESCO]

UNESCO helps complete study on equitable access to documentary heritage in South Asian countries
UNESCO Press Room - 5 May 2008

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The National Mission for Manuscripts of India, in association with UNESCO, completed a research study to assist in the development of legal and policy framework and protocols for promoting equitable access to documentary heritage, relevant to India and other South Asian countries. Entitled Legal and Policy Framework for Promoting Equitable Access to Documentary Heritage, the study seeks to accurately identify and critically examine the legal and policy framework for promoting equitable access to documentary heritage. By critically examining the legal rules in the practical context of the Mission’s work, the research team has put together the first review of an initiative aimed at the protection of Indian traditional knowledge. The study illustrates working patterns of the Mission within the legal and policy framework of the country. It is a helpful sourcebook for understanding South Asian legal and policy framework for accessing documentary heritage collections. Read the article…

 

This week in review… Torres Strait Sinking Without Trace

Sinking without trace: Australia’s climate change victims
The Independent [UK] - 5 May 2008

LONDON, ENGLAND: Like Kiribati and Tuvalu, the islands of the Torres Strait are slowly being submerged. But unlike their Pacific neighbours, the plight of their inhabitants is being overlooked. Houses, roads and graveyards have been flooded, and the locals believe they know the reason: climate change. Abnormally high tides are not the only phenomenon that the islanders have observed. The seasons are shifting, and the land is eroding. Birds’ migration patterns have altered, and the turtles and dugongs (sea cow) that are traditionally hunted for meat have grown scarce. People are no longer certain when to plant their crops: cassava, yams, sugarcane, bananas, sweet potato. Murray, home to about 400 people, is the birthplace of indigenous land rights. It was five Murray Islanders, led by Eddie Mabo, who brought a legal action contesting the idea that Australia was uninhabited and belonged to no one when the British arrived. After a landmark High Court decision in 1992, Aborigines and Torres Strait islanders regained ownership of their traditional lands. But now the land for which Mr Mabo fought so long and hard is being swallowed by the sea. Read the article…

 

This week in review… People control conservation in Fiji

People control conservation
The Fiji Times - 4 May 2008

SUVA, FIJI: Communities around Fiji are showing great leadership in protecting their natural resources. A long-running partnership between the Macuata community, government and non-government organisations has resulted in protection of vital natural resources in the area. The success of communities in Macuata has been an inspiration to other parts of Fiji and the Pacific through the Locally Marine Area Network (LMMA). Perhaps the most notable outcome from this partnership was the establishment of nine Marine Protected Areas (MPA) or tabu sites in Macuata; and the creation of a Qoliqoli Committee to manage these sites. The nine sites were chosen mainly using local traditional knowledge of the qoliqoli. Since the establishment of the tabu sites, extensive survey work on the biology of the marine and river environments, and on the socio-economic status of this Macuata region is now being used to conduct a ‘reconfiguration exercise’, where the Macuata communities are encouraged to protect greater sections of their qoliqoli, not just in the sea but using an “ecosystem-based management” approach. This approach considers the linkages between the land, the rivers and the sea. Read the article…

 

This week in review… US Patent on Latin American Bean Revoked

US Patent Office Rejects US Company’s Patent Protection for Bean Commonly Grown by Latin American Farmers
CGIAR Newsroom - 2 May 2008

WASHINGTON DC, USA: The United States Patent and Trademark Office today rejected all of the patent claims for a common yellow bean that has been a familiar staple in Latin American diets for more than a century. The bean was erroneously granted patent protection in 1999, as US Patent Number 5,894,079, in a move that raised profound concerns about biopiracy and the potential abuse of intellectual property (IP) claims on plant materials that originate in the developing world and remain as important dietary staples, particularly among the poor. “We are happy that the patent office has reached a final decision in this case but remain concerned that the ex partes patent reexamination procedure meant that these patent claims remained in force for such a long time,” said Geoffrey Hawtin, Director General of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), which has been fighting the patent since 2001. “For several years now, farmers in Mexico, the USA and elsewhere have unnecessarily endured legal threats and intimidation for simply planting, selling or exporting a bean that they have been growing for generations.” Read the article…

 

Funding opportunity - APFED Showcase Programme 2008

Environmental projects grant funding - APFED Showcase Programme 2008

Asia Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) is a regional group of eminent experts that aims to address critical issues facing Asia and the Pacific region and to propose new models for sustainable development. To promote sustainable development in the region, APFED launched the APFED Showcase Programme as one of the main activities.

The APFED Showcase Programme, grants up to US$ 30,000 to Asia Pacific projects that demonstrate innovative approaches. This year we are pleased to announce another round of proposals selection to be endorsed by the Programme. The examples of innovative activities as defined in the APFED Final Report are:

• Innovation in relation to policies: To pilot innovative policies that lead to behavioural changes by people in a defined direction, such as integrated transportation planning and establishing special environmental zones for innovative policies;
• Innovation in relation to technologies: To analyse the feasibility of emerging technologies for prevention, mitigation or adaptation purposes under specific conditions, such as new sources of water, eco-industrial parks, and eco-restoration initiatives;
• Innovation in the encouragement of social practices for sustainability: To enhance social capacity for sustainable development by encouraging new and creative social practices conducted by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and/or stimulating partnerships between CSOs and other stakeholders, such as rural-based industries with support from the urban community, local eco-currency, participatory composting, joint management of protected areas, and inter-university credit systems.

The Showcase Programme is expected to address implementation barriers such as uncertainty regarding the impacts of innovative actions and resistance from certain stakeholders, and to examine the feasibility of the innovative practices in one country/region and their applicability to other countries/regions that have different political, social, economic or other conditions.

Applications are due on 31 May 2008. Further information including eligibility, how to apply, and proposal format can be obtained from UNEP/ROAP.

Visit the APFED Website…

 

Life Science Patent Landscaping at WIPO - Meeting Review

Symposium on Public Policy Patent Landscaping in the Life Sciences
WIPO in collaboration with FAO
7 April - 8 April 2008 (Geneva, Switzerland)
Adapted from the Intellectual Property Watch article and the WIPO Press Room.

The Life Sciences Symposium on public policy patent landscaping in the life sciences took place within the context of a cooperation program between the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on patent landscaping for policymakers. The Symposium comprised three components:

• A preliminary technical consultation on patent landscapes commissioned by the FAO and WIPO, for close expert review;
• A full peer review of the WIPO FAO patent landscapes and review of future directions in using patent information mechanisms for policymakers in relation to plant genetic resources;
• A comparative review of public policy patent landscaping in other life sciences fields, with a special focus on public health landscaping.

The Symposium draws together two important trends:

1. Patent information as a tool of public policy: Policymakers who deal with innovation and access in the life sciences – concerned with agriculture and food security; public health and pharmaceuticals; and environmental issues – have increasingly focused on the patent system. They look for clearer, more accessible and geographically more representative information to support key policy processes. They seek a stronger empirical basis for their assessments on the role and impact of the patent system in relation to key areas of life sciences technology.
2. Improved analytical tools and access to patent information: Rapid growth in the use of the patent system, and in the diversity of users, has led to an explosion of raw data on patenting activities in the life sciences. This data is progressively being turned into useful information. Availability and quality of patent information have increased. Analytical tools and methodologies are better understood and are more widely available. And greater practical experience has been harvested from a range of recent patent landscaping initiatives. This trend opens up enormous practical potential for improved patent information resources for public policymakers addressing the life sciences.

The experts at the meeting concluded that access to quality data in intellectual property policy in the life sciences is as necessary as it is hard to obtain. Patents on life sciences figure into the “key debates of the day,” including agriculture and food security, public health and pharmaceuticals, and environmental protection, said Antony Taubman, head of WIPO’s global IP issues division. Also commenting at the event was Paul Oldham of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics, who spoke on biodiversity, biopiracy, and traditional knowledge in the patent system.

Recurrent themes of the event included: the difficulty of finding complete, up-to-date patent data in easily searchable formats and the complexity of an increasingly multilingual and multilateral patent system.

Read the IP Watch article…
Visit the WIPO Meeting Page…