INDIGENOUS WOMEN BIODIVERSITY NETWORK

The Indigenous women on biodiversity has one objective: To promote and ensure the active participation of Indigenous women in all international processes related to environment as Indigenous women are the guardians, protectors and transmitters of Indigenous Peoples’ traditional knowledge from generation to generation. We seek to promote their vital role in the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.

The IWBN met on Friday 18th with all the regions present to assess the advances of indigenous women within the CBD process.

During this period of meetings, the IWBN is having an active participation in the discussions of this ad hoc open-ended Working Group on access and benefit sharing of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and it has stated in some of its statements:

The Indigenous Women Biodiversity Network, in its statement on the elaboration of the International Regime stated that its main objective should be:

Protect Indigenous People’ traditional knowledge and associated genetic resources including its derivatives and products, to prevent misappropriation.

To ensure protection, the Regime should contain mechanisms and conditions to guarantee the rights of Indigenous Peoples such as culturally appropriate PIC.

In this way we consider that both the objectives of the CBD and the objectives of article 8(j) will be advanced.

Regarding capacity building, the IWBN requested to have the following included among the proposals:

Parties will support Indigenous women’s initiatives for capacity building and experience exchange on the third objective of the CBD and related issues.

We are calling for this because without capacity building it is difficult to be able to negotiate access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge in the fair and equitable sharing arising from their utilization.

They also stated their concern as some of the Parties stated that the Regime should include “all genetic resources” and, as reflected in document UNEP/CDB/WGABS/5/2 scope, item 6
“The international regime will not apply to human genetic resources”

They emphasized that the International Regime should in no way apply to human genetic resources, as that would be a threat to life.

The IWBN will continue following closely and actively participating in these discussions.

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Geneva, Switzerland, 22nd January 2008