ABS Initiative Workshop in Malawi

Kabir Bavikatte and Sabine Zajderman (Natural Justice) attended the Fourth Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa in Malawi from 17-22 October. The workshop, organized by the ABS Capacity Development Initiative for Africa (ABS Initiative) and hosted by the Environmental Affairs Department of Malawi, was the first in the sub-region since the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In light of this development, African countries are now discussing and identifying relevant ABS strategies at national, sub-regional, and regional levels to address the challenge of implementing the Nagoya Protocol. This meeting also echoed the Fourth ABS Sub-Regional Workshop for West Africa and the Maghreb, which was coordinated and facilitated by the ABS Initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation of Mali and held in Bamako, Mali, from 26 September to 1 October.

The first four days of the workshop in Malawi aimed to inform the participants about the provisions of the Nagoya Protocol and provide them with a platform to share national experiences with implementing ABS, discuss key challenges while exploring national and sub-regional concerns, and identify capacity gaps and priority areas for action at the political and technical–administrative levels. Participants were first introduced to the Nagoya Protocol and its implications for national policies and legislation and were invited to discuss different policy choices – protective vs. market-oriented, governance and administrative structures, and definition of rights – for national implementation as well as potential coordination and harmonization strategies at sub-regional and regional levels. The use of the active ingredient of the Strophanthus Kombe seed harvested in the Lake Region of Malawi and the benefit sharing mechanism developed by TreeCrops with the local communities illustrated the main challenges faced at the local level and the complexity at times to discern a biotrade case from an ABS case.

The workshop ended with a two-day session exclusively focusing on practical approaches and methods in the field of Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) in the context of ABS. During this time, participants reflected on the development of sensible solutions and tools for dialogue to address the various communication challenges encountered with different stakeholders groups.

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ABS Training Course in Nairobi

Sabine Zajderman and Laureen Manuel (Natural Justice) attended a 5-day training course on access and benefit sharing (ABS) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 10-14 October. The course was aimed at addressing the capacity constraints faced by African countries in implementing ABS at the national and regional levels. About 30 delegates working in the field of ABS from East and Southern Africa attended the course, which was hosted by the Strathmore Executive Legal Education Programme (SELEP) in collaboration with the ABS Capacity Development Initiative for Africa. The course contents, designed by the Environmental Evaluation Unit of the University of Cape Town, included presentations on the key provisions of the Nagoya Protocol, traditional knowledge issues, and intellectual property rights, as well as case studies of actual experiences with ABS in Africa.

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First Symposium on ICCAs in Indonesia

Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended the first-ever national symposium on the status, prospects, options, and opportunities for Indigenous peoples' conserved territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities (ICCAs) in Indonesia, organized by the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA), the Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme for South and South-east Asia (NTFP-EP), Forest Peoples Programme, the ICCA Consortium, and WWF-Indonesia. The symposium took place from 13-14 October at the CIFOR campus in Bogor with support from The Christensen Fund, UNDP, GIZ, and WWF-Indonesia.

The two days comprised a number of presentations on diverse community experiences with conserved territories and areas across Indonesia, as well as a select few from other countries such as Iran, Panama, and the Philippines. The legal framework, including challenges and opportunities for official recognition of ICCAs, was elaborated by local legal NGO HuMa. Working groups discussed a range of questions, including the extent and local expressions and types of ICCAs in Indonesia; barriers to appropriate recognition and support; and future steps to promote the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, livelihoods, and conservation. Many thanks to Crissy Guerrero and the rest of the organizing committee for hosting us in Bogor!

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ICCA Consortium General Assembly in Bogor

Natural Justice participated in the 4th General Assembly of the ICCA Consortium on 12 October in Bogor, Indonesia, at the CIFOR campus. It was attended by 31 people, including representatives of Member organizations, Honorary Members, and the new regional co-coordinators. The Assembly included reports from the President (Taghi Farvar), Coordinator (Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend), Treasurer (Stan Stevens), Auditor of Accounts (Maurizio Farhan Ferrari), Chair of the Statutes Committee (Harry Jonas), regional coordinators, and Global Communications Officer (Vanessa Reid). The Assembly resulted in the adoption of the 2012 budget, revised Statutes, draft Procedural Guidelines and Membership Policy, and Global Communication Plan.

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ICCA Consortium Retreat in Indonesia

Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) participated in a retreat of the ICCA Consortium from 6-11 October in Prana Dewi, Bali, Indonesia. The 6-day agenda brought together the new regional co-coordinators, the Consortium Secretariat, and some Member organizations and Honorary Members for the first time to discuss and plan a range of issues and initiatives.

Internal matters that were discussed included a review of the mission, 2020 vision, structure, membership, and past activities of the Consortium. Participants worked to propose revised Statutes, draft Procedural Guidelines, draft Membership, Partnership, and Financial Policies, and a proposed communication system for consideration at the 4th General Assembly on 12 October.

A range of sources of support were presented and considered, particularly: 2.5-year funding from The Christensen Fund (TCF) to strengthen the Consortium as an emerging local-to-global institution; 1-year funding from the UNDP/EEG Equator Initiative and UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) for documentation and dissemination of information of ICCAs in the context of 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets; 1-year funding from SwedBio for a review of national, regional, and international laws, policies, and practices that support or hinder Indigenous peoples' conserved territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities; and ideas for a funding proposal on participatory action research and policy advocacy. Also discussed were ongoing and potential initiatives and partnerships with, among others: the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Protected Areas Programme, Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) and relevant Themes, and World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA); the Wild Foundation; and the UNEP-WCMC ICCA Registry.

Participants discussed past and planned involvement in various United Nations and other international policy mechanisms related to Indigenous peoples and local communities, particularly concerning biodiversity, climate change, food and agriculture, conservation, human rights, and cultural rights. They deliberated core concepts such as territories and the right to self-determination in relation to community conserved areas, considered a revised term for ICCAs, and planned regional objectives and activities for the Consortium in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. A brief field trip helped illustrate cultural and spiritual aspects of the local water management and cultivation system known as Subak.

Natural Justice would like to thank Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend and Vanessa Reid in particular for planning the retreat and the Samdhana Institute for hosting us at Prana Dewi.

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Upcoming ICCA Consortium Events in Indonesia

Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) will be joining other members of the ICCA Consortium from 5-15 October in Indonesia for a series of events. At a retreat from 6-11 October, the Consortium Steering Committee and Regional Coordinators will tackle a number of issues ranging from the action plan, 2020 Vision, and ongoing initiatives and partnerships to a global legal review and strategic inputs to international policy fora.

The 4th General Assembly will be held on 12 October at the CIFOR Campus in Bogor. From 13-14 October, the first ever national symposium on ICCAs will take place in Bogor. It will explore the concept, practice, limitations, and opportunities of ICCAs in Indonesia and, if appropriate, provide initial stimulus and support to a broad alliance of organizations and people willing to engage in appropriate follow-up activities.

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Indigenous Declaration on Climate Change and Traditional Knowledge

As the next round of negotiations under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opened in Panama, a gathering in Finland of Indigenous leaders from around the world has called upon the international community to remove scientific bias against Indigenous knowledge from climate change science and policy. The meeting adopted the Sevettijärvi Declaration, which calls upon the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to make all efforts necessary to include Indigenous knowledge and local perspectives in its assessment processes.

The Indigenous Peoples' Biocultural Climate Change Assessment Initiative (IPCCA) network will be releasing a synthesis report of the results of their local assessments in 2012, which will include evidence of climate change, impacts and adaptation and mitigation responses from the most representative ecosystems on the planet and provide recommendations to policy makers for future actions. “Addressing climate change requires that climate justice be taken seriously”, said Paulina Feodoroff of the Skolt Sámi nation. “We remind the international community that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples establishes international minimum standards for the respect, protection and fulfillment of Indigenous peoples’ rights. The IPCC and others are therefore obliged to include traditional knowledge in assessment reports."

The Sevettijärvi Declaration (also available in Spanish) contains further analysis and examples of the climate change impacts on Indigenous peoples and includes specific requests to the IPCC, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and national governments on how ensure that Indigenous knowledge properly informs climate change science and policy.

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