This week in review … FAO and Slow Food partner to boost livelihoods of small farmers

Slow Food and FAO join forces: Three-year agreement to target smallholders, biodiversity
FAO news release, 15 May 2013

ROME, ITALY: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the international non-profit organization Slow Food signed a Memorandum of Understanding aiming to promote more inclusive food and agriculture systems at local, national and international levels. Actions aim to boost incomes for small farmers and rural communities by promoting traditional cooking and locally produced food. Activities under the agreement include the protection of traditional food products and the promotion of culinary traditions as well as the cultural heritage of rural communities. Specifically, Slow Food can help produce inventories of local, indigenous and underutilized species that are potentially important to food security, thus supporting FAO’s role in revaluing and promoting neglected crops. Read the news release …

 

Meeting review: Global Land Forum 2013

Global Land Forum 2013
23-27 April 2013 (Antigua, Guatemala)

Members of the International Land Coalition (ILC) meeting at the Assembly following the Global Land Forum issued the Antigua Declaration, including a series of commitments related to securing tenure for responsible land governance. The declaration recognises the need for land to be looked at not just as a productive asset, but to be valued for the various functions that it plays, including cultural, spiritual and ecological functions; it highlights that land is a means of establishing the dignity and inclusiveness of people. A notion of territorial development that reflects this multiplicity of functions was the first element of consensus of ILC members. Consensus was also achieved concerning the idea that investment in land is indeed needed, but that models of investment should take into consideration the need to mobilize resources directly from smallholder farmers, as they are uniquely positioned to maintain the integrity of the land, taking into account territorial perspectives. Moreover, noting the impact of increased commercial pressures on land, the territories most at risk are those of indigenous peoples. The rights of indigenous peoples to protect their land must be defended, as land is the source of cultural identity. Through the declaration, ILC members have made the commitment to support indigenous peoples more effectively in their struggle for territorial rights and the protection of their environments. Other issues in focus during the forum included strong support for promoting women land rights and gender justice, denouncing all forms of human rights violations, the importance of environmental sustainability for achieving the right to food, and transparency and accountability in dealing with land issues. Read the ILC press release … Read the Antigua Declaration … Read the Global Land Forum Outcome Statement …

 

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 …

 

This week in review … Indonesia’s Constitutional Court returns customary forests to indigenous peoples

Indonesia’s Constitutional Court returns customary forests to indigenous peoples
REDD Monitor, 17 May 2013

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: On 16 May, Indonesia’s Constitutional Court ruled that indigenous peoples’ customary forests should not be classed as “State Forest Areas,” as provided by the country’s 1999 Forestry Law, which stated that “customary forests are state forests located in the areas of custom-based communities.” In accordance with the ruling, state forests in Indonesia no longer include customary forests. This is considered to be a landmark ruling and an important step for the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights in Indonesia. Read the REDD Monitor article … Read a Mongabay article on the issue …

 

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 …

 

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 …

 

This week in review … South Africa to launch national TK recording system

South Africa to Launch National Traditional Knowledge Recording System
IP Watch, 10 May 2013

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: On 24 May, South Africa will be launching its National Recordal System aiming to catalogue its indigenous knowledge. The National Recordal System is an initiative of the South African Department of Science and Technology, with the ultimate goal of creating opportunities “for benefits to flow back to the communities.” The NRS includes the establishment of indigenous knowledge networks, provincial Indigenous Knowledge Systems Documentation Centers and an Information Communication Technology knowledge platform. It will be interactive, and benefit-sharing agreement forms will be accessible online. Read the article … Further information on the NRS …

 

This week in review … ECOSOC appoints new PFII members

Members of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 2014-2016
PFII release, 6 May 2013

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK: The President of the Economic and Social Council announced the appointment of eight Members of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for the term 2014-2016 who had been nominated by indigenous peoples’ organizations. Previously, the Council had elected seven members nominated by governments. One member remains to be elected by the Council from the Asia-Pacific region. Their term begins on 1 January 2014 and lasts until 31 December 2016. The appointed members nominated by indigenous organizations include: Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine; Dalee Sambo Dorough; Joan Carling; Raja Devasish Roy; Kara-Kys Arakchaa; Maria Eugenia Choque Quispe; Edward John; and Valmaine Toki. The government-nominated members include: Joseph Goko Mutangah; Gervais Nzoa; Mohammad Hassani Nejad Pirkouhi; Oliver Loode; Aisa Mukabenova; Alvaro Esteban Pop Ac; and Megan Davis. Read the PFII release … Read the ECOSOC release …