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Asian IPs hold workshops

Traditional knowledge on biodiversity consultation

BAGUIO CITY (April 28) — Forty representatives of indigenous peoples in 10 Asian countries attended the Regional Consultation on Traditional Knowledge in relation to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the Igorot Lodge in Camp John Hay, this week.

Joji Cariño, one among the Philippine representatives, and elected chair of the CBD Asia Regional Consultation on Traditional Knowledge, who presented a paper on traditional knowledge, noted that the indigenous populations of Asia make up the bulk of the keepers of traditional knowledge. She laments, however, that there is a continuing reluctance to recognize indigenous peoples by many Asian governments.

“Indigenous populations are de-facto managers and conservers of large tracts of forests,” Cariño noted.

While she observed that many governments have adopted programs and projects on forest management and conservation, these have not been translated in concrete terms.

Cariño said indigenous peoples have customary laws but governments do not recognize these.

The CBD is a result of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since its adoption by 168 governments in 1993, it has gathered a total of 188 government-signatories.

But there are serious problems with the CBD, a tribesman from the Scandinavian region observed. Mattias Ahren, a human rights lawyer and a member of the Saami Council, said the CBD as an international accord is not based on human rights which are un-negotiated non-alienable rights of individuals.

“Coming from a human rights background, I have serious problems with the CBD,” Ahren said.

The CBD, he said, is a negotiated agreement between states, and being that it cannot encroach on the human rights and of the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples.

Workshops, power-point presentations and discussions characterized the UN-like sessions in the Asian consultation. There was a sharing of community experiences of the different Asian countries as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Mongolia, Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Burma. Representatives from Denmark, Canada and Australia are also present as observers and members of the Secretariat. Glenn Kelly, the representative from Australia, is the workshop rapporteur.

The CBD’s Article 8j recognizes traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples but such recognition is subjected to national laws and legislations. In countries where the western intellectual property system has been adopted, the indigenous system on intellectual property rights is overrun.

Recommendations and proposals for the active participation of indigenous populations in the implementation of the CBD were also formulated but are not yet released as of press time.

Before the consultation, on April 25-27, a Regional Capacity-building and Strategy Workshop on the implementation of the CBD was held for the Asian delegates in the same venue. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

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