Indigenous Wisdom for Sustainable Livelihoods
Issues
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Issues in IP Policy
News
Indigenous Peoples' Submission on GURTS
In October 2005, indigenous organisations including Call of the Earth Llamado de la Tierra, joined forces with other interested parties, to submit comments to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Working Group on Article 8(j) regarding genetic use restriction technologies (GURTS). The key concern is that GURTS threaten biodiversity, the livelihoods, traditional knowledge and cultures of Indigenous peoples, peasant farmers, and global food security.
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)-3
At the Seventh Conference of the Parties (COP VII) on the Convention of Biological Diversity held in February 2004 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Parties engaged in extensive discussions about the mandate and the terms of reference of the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Working Group and decided that the Working Group would "elaborate and negotiate an international regime on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing with the aim of adopting an instrument/instruments to effectively implement the provisions of Article 15 and Article 8(j)."
ABS-3 held in Bangkok, Thailand in February 2005 was the first of two meetings scheduled to carry out that work before COP VIII in Brazil in 2006.
For more information see:
KUALA LUMPUR DECLARATION OR DOCUMENTS FROM COP VII OR DOCUMENTS FROM ABS-3
WIPO-IGC, Eighth Session
The 8th Session of the World Intellectual Property Organization Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources (WIPO-IGC), Traditional Knowledge and Folklore was held in Geneva from 6-10 June 2005. Agenda items included the participation of Indigenous and Local Communities, Policy and Legal Options for the Protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions and Traditional Knowledge, Draft Intellectual Property Guidelines for Access and Benefit Sharing Contracts and Defensive Protection Measures relating to Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge.
Official Documents of the meeting can be obtained: HERE
View photos of Call of the Earth at WIPO-IGC's, 7th Session here