Second Pilot Study on Enhancing Community Dialogue with UEBT

On 26 July, a second pilot testing the use of certain elements of the biocultural community protocol (BCP) process in the context of Ethical BioTrade was implemented in Nazarezinho do Meruú, a community of about 200 families a few hours away by car and boat from Belém, Pará. Within the community, the “Associação de Produtores Rurais de Nazarezinho do Meruú” (Rural Producers’ Association of Nazarezinho do Meruú) represents 60 members/families, 30...

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First BCP in the Context of Ethical BioTrade

During the course of the last week, Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the first of three pilot studies as part of a joint GIZ-funded project between the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) and Natural Justice. The aim of the project is to test the concepts and methodologies of biocultural community protocols (BCPs) as a tool to enhance engagement of local actors in Ethical BioTrade supply chains. The pilot took place in Puerto Maldonado,...

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First BCP Piloted in BioTrade Context

During the course of the last week, Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the first of three pilot studies as part of a joint GIZ-funded project between the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) and Natural Justice. The aim of the project is to test the concepts and methodologies of biocultural community protocols (BCPs) as a tool to enhance engagement of local actors in ethical biotrade supply chains.The pilot was implemented in Puerto...

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BCPs, Livestock Keepers and Animal Genetic Resources

On 20 July, at the 13th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA13), the  LIFE Network and the League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development co-hosted a side event on  biocultural community protocols, traditional livestock keepers, and animal genetic resources.Paul Boettcher (FAO) introduced the linkages between the Global...

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Agrobiodiversity, Climate Change, and Food Security

On 19 July, at the 13th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA13), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Eart System Science Partnership (ESSP) co-hosted a side event on agrobiodiversity, climate change, and food security.Andy Jarvis (International Centre for Tropical Agriculture)  provided an overview of a partnership between...

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ICCAs and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

On 15 July, the final day of the 4th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), Natural Justice and the ICCA Consortium co-hosted a side event entitled, "Community Governance and Stewardship of Traditional Territories and Biocultural Diversity".Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend introduced and provided many examples of Indigenous peoples' conserved territories and community conserved areas (commonly known as ICCAs),...

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FPIC and Transnational Corporations

Zurich-based NGO Incomindios hosted a lunch-time event on 14 July entitled "Free, Prior and Informed Consent: Difficulties and Successes with Transnational Corporations". Held in conjunction with the 4th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), the event explored the concept and practice of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in the context of transnational corporations operating on Indigenous peoples' territories.Lene...

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Advancing Dialogue on Treaties between States and Indigenous Peoples

The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) hosted a lunch-time event on 13 July during the 4th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP). The event was entitled "Advancing Dialogue on Treaties, Agreements and Other Constructive Arrangements between States and Indigenous Peoples within the UN System". It began by looking back at Indigenous peoples' participation in the United Nations, most...

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Indigenous Peoples' Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property

On 12 July, during the 4th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) hosted a lunch-time event entitled "Indigenous Peoples' Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property". Wend Wendland (WIPO Traditional Knowledge Division) provided an overview of the conventional intellectual property rights system in relation to traditional knowledge, traditional cultural...

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EMRIP Session on the Right to Participate in Decision-making

Natural Justice is attending the fourth session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), which will take place in Geneva from 11-15 July. This session will focus on Indigenous peoples and the right to partcipate in decision-making. The provisional agenda, draft programme of work, and draft report are available online. EMRIP was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2007 and is comprised...

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Save Lamu Alliance Formed

The communities of Lamu, Kenya, have recently formed a new alliance to preserve the natural biodiversity and cultural heritage of their lands and seas. The alliance, which is known as Save Lamu, is made up of over 22 community-based organizations representing the Indigenous communities of Lamu. Their primary project is to develop a Bio-cultural Community Protocol (BCP) that will provide knowledge about the Indigenous communities living in Lamu...

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Exploring Synergies between Protected Areas and ABS

From 6-8 July, Natural Justice, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are co-hosting an expert meeting to explore synergies between access and benefit sharing (ABS) and the governance and management of protected areas. The Nagoya Protocol on ABS was adopted in 2010 by the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Many countries...

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Deconstructing Protected Area Governance at IUCN

From 4-5 July, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a meeting at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) headquarters in Gland about a draft resource kit on protected area governance. This kit, which will include a content-focused guide and a training-of-trainers guide, has been under development by partners from the IUCN Secretariat, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), the...

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