Meeting prep: WIN Conference

World Indigenous Network (WIN) Conference 2013
26-31 May 2013 (Darwin, Australia)

The WIN Conference will cover five themes with a range of topics relevant to indigenous and local community land and sea managers, including: territories, lands and waters; communities and relationships; cultures and knowledge; resources and livelihoods; and networks and exchanges. In addition, the following cross-cutting themes inform many of the Conference papers, presentations and break-out sessions: climate change adaptation; young indigenous people; gender-specific indigenous roles and responsibilities; the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Sessions will be webcasted. Visit the Conference website …

 

This week in review … Expert meeting calls for safeguarding useful plants and associated TK

Call to mainstream ethnobotany into development
SciDev.Net, 17 May 2013

MISSOURI, USA: A new global programme is needed to mainstream ethnobotany into development and to place local communities’ needs and traditional knowledge at the heart of plant conservation, a meeting of scientists concluded. Held on 1-2 May 2013 at the Missouri Botanical Garden, US, the meeting concluded there is a great urgency to address the vital importance of traditional knowledge about plants, their utility, management and conservation, typically held by indigenous and local communities. In a call to action, the meeting called for: increasing cooperation through cross-cultural and multilevel partnerships; creating a database to catalogue useful plants; and improving capacity building in ethnobotanical science. Efforts should also be made to preserve local ownership of knowledge in culturally sensitive manner; support and encourage biocultural knowledge transmission and custodianship; and include local communities at all levels of conservation, while the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation of the Convention on Biological Diversity could serve as the implementation framework. Read the article … Read the call to action …

 

Meeting prep: UNPFII 12

Twelfth Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
20-31 May 2013 (UN Headquarters, New York)

This session is marking a review year. The Forum will follow-up on its recommendations regarding health, education and culture; will hold a half-day discussion on the African region; will hold its comprehensive dialogue with UN agencies and funds, as well as with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; will discuss the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples; and will address issues related to the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The meeting will address a number of reports of relevance to TK, including: the report of the International Expert Group Meeting on “indigenous youth: identity, challenges and hope”; the report of the Inter-Agency Support Group Meeting on Indigenous Peoples; a study on resilience, traditional knowledge and capacity building for pastoralist communities in Africa; a study on engaging indigenous peoples more inclusively in the process of disaster risk reduction by respecting their linguistic and cultural practices; a consolidated report on extractive industries and their impact on indigenous peoples; and a study on how the knowledge, history and contemporary social circumstances of indigenous peoples are embedded in educational curricula. Visit the meeting’s website … View the meeting’s documents … Visit the meeting’s PaperSmart page …

 

This week in review … UNESCO adopts open-access policy for its publications, supports Burkina Faso in safeguarding its intangible heritage

UNESCO to make its publications available free of charge as part of a new Open Access policy
UNESCO release, 14 May 2013

PARIS, FRANCE: Following a decision by its Executive Board, UNESCO has become the first organization of the United Nations to adopt an Open Access policy for its publications. The new policy means that anyone will be able to download, translate, adapt, distribute and re-share UNESCO digital publications free-of-charge. Read the release …

UNESCO supports Burkina Faso for the safeguarding of its intangible heritage
UNESCO release, 13 May 2013

PARIS, FRANCE: Burkina Faso is launching a national project to inventory and promote its intangible cultural heritage, thanks to financial assistance of US$260,000 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. From now until 2015, this major project will enable Burkina Faso to create an inventory and database of the intangible cultural heritage present throughout its territory. With the participation of representatives from different communities, civil society organizations and academic institutions, this project will enable the country not only to identify its intangible cultural heritage, but also to evaluate its viability and to plan for appropriate safeguarding measures. A national strategy for intangible cultural heritage will also be elaborated. Read the release …

 

Meeting prep: UNU-IAS events on the Nagoya Protocol, GIAHS

The Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol: Why Intellectual Property Still Matters
17 May 2013 (UNU-IAS, Yokohama, Japan)

This seminar by Kiyoshi Adachi from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will highlight recent work by UNCTAD on the policy space available for countries to use selected intellectual property tools in support of the international access and benefit-sharing system. Further information …

Experiences and Lessons of Dynamic Conservation and Sustainable Development  from Asian GIAHS Pilot Sites
28 May 2013 (UNU-IAS, Kanazawa, Japan)

Six pilot sites in China and two in Japan have been designated by FAO as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) sites for dynamic conservation and adaptive management. In addition, more sites in China and Japan are under consideration for GIAHS designation, and an application is also planned for a Korean site. This workshop will bring together experts from China, Korea and Japan, as well as local residents, to share experiences and lessons learned regarding biodiversity conservation and rural development. Further information …

 

This week in review … Many Strong Voices develops adaptation project integrating scientific and traditional knowledge

Many Strong Voices Develops Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Project
Climate Change Policy and Practice, May 2013

OSLO, NORWAY: Many Strong Voices (MSV) is developing a project on ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to climate change, aiming to reduce vulnerability to climate change by supporting an EbA methodology that integrates scientific and local/traditional knowledge. Case studies will be carried out in communities in Belize and Seychelles. Work carried out to date includes field visits in both countries to meet with potential partners and assess local conditions. This project seeks to formalize a methodology that combines evidence-based, scientific data with community knowledge and experiences, and empower communities to make informed choices on how to reduce vulnerability to climate change. Read the article … Visit the MSV website …

 

Meeting review: UNU-IAS public symposium on indicators of resilience in SEPLS

Public Symposium held on Indicators of Resilience in SEPLS
Satoyama Initiative release, 1 May 2013

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN: Held on 22 April 2013 at the UNU-IAS, and focusing on the resilience of the world’s socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS), this symposium featured speakers from Bioversity International and the UN Development Programme, two member organizations of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative. In his opening remarks, Wataru Suzuki, Coordinator of the International Satoyama Initiative at UNU-IAS, provided some background on the long collaborative process that has led to the development and testing of a set of twenty indicators for resilience in SEPLS. Nadia Bergamini, Bioversity International, shared some of the results of the initial testing of the indicators and lessons learned; and emphasized their usefulness for establishing a common understanding at community-level of threats and solutions and for determining which strategies can be undertaken to strengthen resilience. Diana Salvemini, UNDP, presented the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative Project, a collaborative effort under IPSI, which supported local community activities in ten countries to promote sustainable landscape-level management approaches, and is projected to support activities in ten additional countries. Read the release, including links to presentations … Download the UNU-IAS policy report Indicators of Resilience in Socio-ecological Production Landscapes (SEPLS) [pdf] …

 

Meeting prep: CDU symposium on indigenous knowledges

Indigenous Knowledges in a Changing World
21-22 April 2013 (Darwin, Australia)

This symposium will mark the opening of the new Australian Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Education. It will address a series of questions aiming to reflect the local and specific nature of indigenous knowledge in the Northern Territory, and the informal and collaborative way indigenous peoples continue to contribute to life in the area. An Open Day on 21 April will showcase how indigenous peoples use their traditional knowledge systems to develop and grow business enterprises and employment opportunities. The Symposium Forum on 22 April will include addresses by academics and a panel discussion with academics and indigenous elders. Visit the symposium’s website … Read the CDU press release of 12 April … Read the CDU press release of 16 April …