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 Commission’s Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities has been the institutional anchor for these efforts... The manual is designed as a training tool for indigenous rights activists in Africa. It is also intended to be a practical instrument for use in the training of judicial officers, lawyers, media activists and government officials on indigenous rights in Africa. The full use of this manual will only be realized if it is used to enhance the capacity of indigenous groups to constructively and sustainably engage with the African human rights system."

The manual is available for download or purchase (including in French) here.

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Tokyo Meeting on Articles 19 and 20 of the Nagoya Protocol

Buddha of Kamakura

Kabir 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, model contractual clauses, and codes of conduct, guidelines and best practices and/or standards, respectively.

With Articles 19 and 20 being one of the focal topics to be addressed at the upcoming third meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol (ICNP3), this informal meeting aimed to facilitate a dedicated discussion on these items among experts from around the world. The outcomes of this meeting would provide valuable inputs to the discussion at the ICNP3.

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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 Convention on Biocultural Diversity. Other presenters included: Lorenzo Cotula (IIED), Fiona Flintan (ILC), Guy Counga (CISDL), and Dorothy Nyingi (National Museums of Kenya). The workshop concluded with a number of tentative conclusions and ways forwards. Harry thanks the organizers for the opportunity to present and looks forward to contributing to the Poverty and Conservation Learning Group.

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ICCA Consortium Holds Mesoamerican Regional Meeting in Guatemala

Courtesy of Eli Makagon

On 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 regarding successes they have had and challenges they continue to face. In Tarcoles, Costa Rica, for example, a local fishing community has created a marine reserve where decisions are made at the local level, with government oversight, that has helped increase fish stocks in the area. Other ICCAs in the region have had varying levels of success in obtaining recognition and enforcing local rules. The biggest challenges remain government actions without prior consultation of those affected and lack of respect for customary methods of conservation management.

Several other issues were also addressed at the meeting, including the United Nation’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programs, the effects of payments for ecosystem services that governments in the region are increasingly offering, and the selection of an ICCA Consortium coordinator for the Mesoamerican region. Eli Makagon, with the assistance of Joseph Kuper, presented on the international legal landscape surrounding ICCAs, noting that ILO 169 is a particularly effective treaty in the region given that twelve Latin American countries have ratified it. At the close of the meeting a public event was held to share results and ways forward. It is clear from the experiences shared that despite significant challenges, a robust system of ICCAs exists in the Mesoamerica region and that more and more communities are seeking and obtaining recognition of their conserved areas.

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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. The international agreement to slow and eventually halt forest loss under the REDD+ mechanism within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is introduced.

The video outlines the relevance of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to REDD+, and the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). It is explained that REDD+ is not fixed and that each country will adapt REDD+ to its particular conditions, therefore the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples is essential in all phases of REDD+. The need to include the contribution and participation of indigenous women as equals within the REDD+ process is also highlighted.

This is an excellent educational resource and complementary to the REDD+ e-module.

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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 and relevance of biocultural community protocols (BCPs), particularly vis-à-vis the environmental legal landscape in India. The report discusses the following broad thematic areas:

• The relevance of BCPs in the India context;
• To distinguish between BCPs and other tools used by communities;
• To examine the value addition of BCPs in asserting community rights over resources; and
• To see how organizations gathered can collaborate with Natural Justice and others. 

To read the full report, please click here.

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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 of concerns with the EU's draft regulations as they stand. See here for Natural Justice's Letter of Concern to the European Union Parliament. The draft regulations are currently in review and are expected to be tabled in the EU Parliament in October to be ratified by the end of the year.
Click here for the EU's hearing on the ABS Draft Regulations.

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