The second day of the Pan-African ILC Preparatory Meeting on Access and Benefit Sharing and Traditional Knowledge continued on August 31st. Participants began with a detailed update, provided by John Scott (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity) on the draft decisions arising from the 6th meeting of the Ad-Hoc Open-Ended Inter-Sessional Working Group on Article 8(j) and related provisions that will be considered at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the CBD, which will take place in October in Nagoya, Japan. Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) then presented on the draft protocol of the International Regime on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), with a focus on the areas concerning traditional knowledge. Over the next 2 days, participants will comment on the draft decisions of the working groups on Article 8(j) and ABS. These comments will be provided to the African Group of negotiators to the CBD in order to guide them during their negotiations in Nagoya, Japan.
Olivier Rukundo (GTZ and Natural Justice Associate) completed the day with an overview of the current negotiations within the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Inter-governmental Committee on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) and highlighted the importance of indigenous peoples and local communities being actively involved in these negotiations.
