Manual on Indigenous Rights in the African Human Rights System

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) and International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) recently released a manual on the promotion and protection of the rights of Indigenous populations/communities through the African Human Rights System.According to IWGIA, over the past 10 years, ACHPR "has taken bold steps to understand, expound and address the human rights situation of indigenous communities in Africa. The African...

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Tokyo Meeting on Articles 19 and 20 of the Nagoya Protocol

Buddha of KamakuraKabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) participated in an informal meeting from 25-26 March 2013 in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting was organized by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies. It included discussions on Articles 19 and 20 of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing, namely,...

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Conservation and Land Grabbing

Salamander in the reptile house at London Zoo(Courtesy of Harry Jonas)Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended a workshop in London (26-27 March) entitled: “Conservation and Land Grabbing: Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?” The meeting was hosted by IIED, the International Land Coalition, Maliasili Initiatives and the Zoological Society of London and was held at the London Zoo. Harry Jonas presented on the ICCA Legal Review and the Living...

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ICCA Consortium Holds Mesoamerican Regional Meeting in Guatemala

Courtesy of Eli MakagonOn March 23, 2013, the ICCA Consortium held a Mesoamerican regional meeting in Totonicapán, Guatemala. The meeting, held from March 23 to March 27, brought together representatives from a range of different organizations and community groups working on ICCAs in the region. Presentations were made on efforts underway in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador regarding ICCAs. Participants shared experiences...

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Our Forests, Our Life! Indigenous Peoples and REDD+ Video

The central role that indigenous peoples should play within Reducing Emissions From Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) is highlighted by a new community friendly video ‘’Our Forests, Our Life! Indigenous Peoples and REDD+’ released by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP).The production explains how industrialisation has led to global warming and climate change, and that the global demand for forest products is resulting in deforestation....

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Report of the Second Meeting of the Asia Regional Initiative on BCPs Now Available

The report of the second meeting of the Asian Regional Initiative on Biocultural Community Protocols, held in Bangalore, India, from 18-20 February 2013, is now available. The meeting was attended by the existing Asian partners and new partners from India to discuss the potential for the growth of this initiative and the challenges faced by the existing partners in the past year. It also included many new partners from India discussing the importance...

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EU Working Towards Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol

The Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. It was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan.The European Parliament is now in the process of passing it into European law and thus giving precedent for the requirements of the European member states for when they pass the Nagoya Protocol into their domestic law. There are a number...

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Major Geotagged Report on Oil Palm in Palawan, the Philippines

Ancestral Land/Domain Watch (ALDAW) has just released a major report on the environmental and social impact of oil palm expansion on the Palawan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Philippines, with the support of Rainforest Rescue and the World Rainforest Movement. Part I of the report contains information about the biocultural diversity and Indigenous peoples of Palawan, the institutional and legislative framework for the oil palm industry,...

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ECCHR Workshop on Transnational Accountability

From 19-21 March in Manila, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a workshop on judicial and quasi-judicial instruments for holding transnational corporations accountable for human rights violations. The workshop was organised by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) with the Philippine-Misereor Partnership and generously supported by Misereor and Brot fur die Welt (Bread for the World).As the final of a series of regional...

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Workshop on Biocultural Community Protocols Held in Guatemala

Between March 18 and March 20, 2013, Eli Makagon attended a workshop on biocultural community protocols (BCPs) in Totonicapán, Guatemala. The workshop, coordinated by Guatemalan NGO Oxlajuj Ajpop and the Sacred Natural Sites Initiative, brought together representatives from communities in the region interested in learning more about BCPs, including their development and implementation. Over the course of the workshop, members from the communities...

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Success for Lamu regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment Report

After a flurry of complaints from local community members including an online petition created by Save Lamu supported by people worldwide and a submission from Natural Justice, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) have called for public comment on the environmental impact assessment for the proposed Port and transport corridor in Lamu....

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ABS capacity development workshop in Bhutan

Left to right: Dr. Tashi Yangzome (Director, National Biodiversity Center),Morten Tvedt (Fridtjof Nansen Institute),Dr. Pema Gyamtsho (Minister for Agriculture and Forests), Dr. Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice), Mani Prasad Nirola (Scientist, National Biodiversity Center).Courtesy of KabirKabir Bavikatte from Natural Justice and Morten Tvedt from the Fridtjof Nansen Institute facilitated an ABS capacity development workshop in Bhutan...

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MRC Workshop in Upington

From 13-14 March 2013 in Upington (Northern Cape, South Africa), Natural Justice, in collaboration with the Indigenous Knowledge Systems unit of the Medical Research Council of South Africa (MRC), facilitated a two-day workshop on the international legislative framework and the South African domestic laws relating to access and benefit-sharing. The workshop, conducted by Laureen Manuel and Lesle Jansen (Natural Justice), included a day-long session...

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Urgent: Save Lamu.The Kenyan government has unconstitutionally submitted the environmental and social impact assessment final report to a select handful of stakeholders without facilitating public consultation and review of the report. Please sign the petition and help Save La...

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IPR and ABS Workshop in Bhutan

Via  www.moaf.gov.btKabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) is involved in a workshop on 'Intellectual Property Related to Genetic Resources and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in relation to the Nagoya Protocol and International Treaties'. It is being held over four days (12-15 March) in Thimphu, Bhutan. Keep up to speed on crucial developments he...

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Workshop on the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol and Indigenous Peoples Held at University of New Mexico Law School

From March 8-10, 2013, Eli Makagon attended a workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexico addressing the rights of Indigenous peoples related to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol. Co-organized by Jorge Garcia of Centro de la Raza, University of New Mexico and Yolanda Teran of RMIB-LAC, the workshop brought together a variety of participants from the United States and Ecuador to discuss issues regarding access and benefit sharing...

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Major CBD Publication on ICCAs

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)  has released a major new publication entitled “Recognising and Supporting Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities: Global Overview and National Case Studies.” The publication was coordinated and edited by Ashish Kothari of Kalpavriksh with Colleen Corrigan, Aurélie Neumann, and Natural Justice’s Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm. Harry Jonas,...

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Workshop on Legal Tools and Agricultural Investments in Bangkok

Palm oil development in peninsularMalaysia. From 7-8 March, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended a workshop on Legal Tools for Accountability in Agricultural Investments for South East Asia hosted by Focus on the Global South and the International Institute for the Environment and Development. Participants engaged with a range of issues over the two days, including: investment protection and promotion in the ASEAN; national legal...

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Expert Seminar on Access to Justice for Indigenous People

On February 27, Eli Makagon attended the International Expert Seminar on Access to Justice for Indigenous Peoples including Truth and Reconciliation Processes at Columbia University 27 February – 1 March, 2013. Pablo de Greiff, the United Nations Special Rapporteurspeaking on the promotion of truth, justice,reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.(Courtesy of Eli Makagon)The Expert Seminar was co-organized by the Office of the UN High Commissioner...

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AIPP Briefing Paper on Indigenous Women & Access to Justice in Southeast Asia

In conjunction with the 57th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) has released a briefing paper entitled "Indigenous Women in Southeast Asia: Challenges in their access to justice". The briefing paper is part of AIPP's advocacy for the respect, protection and recognition of the human rights of Indigenous women. Focusing on access to justice for Indigenous women in Southeast Asia facing development-induced...

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Katiba Institute's Strategic Litigation Conference in Nairobi

On 1 March 2013, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) attended a regional forum on Litigating Minority/Vulnerable Groups’ Rights in Nairobi, Kenya. The forum was organized by the Katiba Institute which works to promote the understanding and implementation of the Kenyan Constitution. The workshop provided an opportunity for lawyers involved in public interest law from a number of east African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, to share...

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Meeting of the African Group of Parties to CBD

Via abs-initiative.infoOn 1 March 2013, the African Group of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (the African Group) had a meeting on the sidelines of the 7th Pan-African Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) workshop in Phalaborwa, South Africa. The meeting was chaired by Prudence Galega of the Ministry of Environment Protection of Nature of Cameroon. The African Group discussed their future involvement in discussions around the...

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Arbitrary and abusive use of power against the Pandumaan-Sipituhuta Indigenous People in North Sumatra, Indonesia

The Pandumaan-Sipituhuta Indigenous People depend on benzoin forests for their livelihoods. Since 2009 the Toba Pulp Lestari company (TPL) has been clearing the community’s forest under a concession that disregards their ancestral claim to the forests. Peaceful resistance to the destruction of the forests(via: https://vimeo.com/60945115) The community has used non-violent methods of resistance against company attempts to destroy their forests...

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Side Event on Proposed EU ABS Regulations

Via abs-initiative.infoOn 28 February 2013, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative held a side event on the draft EU ABS regulations during the 7th Pan-African Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) workshop in Phalaborwa, South Africa. The draft regulations were presented by Soren Jensen of the ABS focal point at the Danish Ministry of the Environment. With regard to the process of adoption, he recalled that the draft regulation was published...

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FAO Report: Biofuels and the Sustainability Challenge

Via the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation has released a new report entitled “Biofuels and the Sustainability Challenge.”From the summary by IISD, the report “addresses the issue of biofuel sustainability based on a global assessment of major commodities and feedstocks. The report is guided by the need to understand the economic, environmental and social sustainability dimensions...

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Submission to UN Working Group on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises

On 1 March 2013, Natural Justice with the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) made a further submission to the United Nations Working Group on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises regarding indigenous peoples, business and human rights.The submission was in response to a concept and discussion note prepared by the Working Group, given its decision to submit a thematic report...

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ABS Initiative Team Meeting

From 4-5 March 2013, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative held a team meeting in Phalaborwa, South Africa following the 7th Pan-African ABS Workshop attended by Lassana Kone and Gino Cocchiaro of Natural Justice. The objectives of the meeting were to identify new thematic areas and to provide support to specific countries in the development and implementation of ABS regulations. The team agreed to support the establishment of the argan value chain...

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Thematic Session on BCPs

During the 7th Pan-African Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) workshop in Phalaborwa, South Africa, six thematic sessions were offered in French and English on 28 February 2013. Participants had the choice to participate in four sessions: interface protected areas and ABS; business models, benefit sharing, and the interface between biotrade and ABS; simplified access for basic research; compliance in Africa; biocultural community protocols (BCPs);...

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Submission to the UN Global Compact on Practice Note on FPIC

On 1 March 2013 Natural Justice submitted a letter to the United Nations Global Compact, commenting on their Draft Practice Note on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (the draft practice note can be found here). The concept note aims to identify key issues that companies should consider in appropriate engagements with indigenous peoples.Natural Justice’s submission sought to clarify elements of the draft practice note, bringing it into line with international...

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