WIPO Addresses Indigenous Issues at UN Forum

[WIPO Magazine - July/August 2006, page 19]

WIPO hosted two events on the sidelines of the 5 th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held in New York in May:

• a workshop entitled "Can Intellectual Property Serve as a Practical Tool for Protecting Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions for the Advancement of Indigenous Women and Community Development in General?" and
• a briefing session on recent developments at WIPO in relation to traditional knowledge, genetic resources and traditional cultural expressions.

Panelists Christine Louwa of the El Molo Community, Lake Turkana, Marsabit District, Kenya, and Carmen Ramirez of the Wayuu People, Colombia
(Photo: WIPO/Wend Wendland)

The focus of the workshop was on the key role played by indigenous women in the creation and preservation of traditional knowledge and cultural expressions. Positive feedback from participants confirmed the importance of mainstreaming gender in addressing IP issues in this field. The workshop highlighted WIPO’s capacity-building activities among indigenous groups, and demonstrated the wide interest among these groups in learning more about IP and its relationship with the protection of traditional knowledge and cultural expressions. Representatives of indigenous communities in Canada, Colombia and Kenya and of other intergovernmental organizations participated as panelists.

The briefing focused on the draft objectives and principles being discussed by the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore, the new Voluntary Fund and WIPO’s ongoing consultations and studies on IP and customary laws.