Indigenous peoples launch initiative on intellectual property

The Rockefeller Foundation released a Press Statement on its three-year programme relating to intellectual property rights. Within the RF's programme, one aspect relates to indigenous peoples intellectual property rights. The following statement has been preprared by the Indigenous Peoples Steering Committee involved in the RF Programme. The values and intentions of the Indigenous programme takes a different form to that of the other RF components.

Attached is a Press Release on our initiative for your information and distribution. Please note, the website is now available: www.earthcall.org.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND DISTRIBUTION

Indigenous Peoples to Launch a New Independent Initiative on Intellectual Property

A three-year independent international initiative to protect the traditional knowledge and intellectual property of indigenous peoples is to be launched this month. Indigenous experts in cultural and intellectual property from around the world to develop a comprehensive strategy to achieve greater participation in, and control by, indigenous peoples in the protection and development of their cultural heritage.

To respond to the threats and challenges of emerging international intellectual property (IP) policies which do not adequately reflect or respond to the concerns of indigenous peoples, an international committee of indigenous peoples experts on traditional knowledge and intellectual property is launching "The Call of the Earth: Ancient Wisdom for Sustaining Livelihoods, Cultures and Environments", a three-year independent international Indigenous Peoples initiative on intellectual property policy.

The Call of the Earth Circle initiative aims at bringing together leading indigenous peoples' voices to advance indigenous peoples' perspectives on intellectual property policy in the international policy arena. The initiative includes a series of Global and Regional Dialogues on Intellectual Property, which will be held over the next three years, the development of a Knowledge Base and support for local innovative initiatives and capacity building. A supporting 'Circle of Wise People and Friends' will also be developed to enable those wishing to participate and assist in this initiative.

The Bellagio Launching Conference: The Call of the Earth Circle initiative will be launched with a Global Dialogue in Bellagio, Italy, next 25-30 November 2002. The Bellagio Global Dialogue on IP is bringing together indigenous peoples experts from different regions and sectoral interests to: explore common perspectives; engage in the analysis of emerging issues surrounding indigenous peoples and intellectual property; identify needs and opportunities for organizing the knowledge base, regional thematic dialogues and national round tables; and identify and foster synergy between various local initiatives.

The First Indigenous Peoples' Global Dialogue on Intellectual Property will focus on:

* State of the debate, dilemmas, key policy, key actions/strategies
* Mapping of what is going on in key places; lay down the principles of indigenous peoples on intellectual property (the values and the ethics)
* Designing the process
* Defining indigenous peoples terms on intellectual property (e.g. "protection", sui generis, collective rights; TK/IK; specific topics like prior informed consent, access to genetic resources, etc.)
* Exploring cross-cutting themes and issues (prior informed consent; right to self-determination)
* Analyzing the thematic agenda of the initiative; what could the initiative contribute on each thematic level
* Indigenous concepts and values (e.g. to translate this into common terms): how to maintain the holism and not to break concepts into parts?
* Strategic landscaping; state of policy debate: identifying opportunities and a calendar

The Cry of the Earth initiative is being organized by an Ad-Hoc Indigenous Peoples Steering Committee and is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the United Nations University, The Convention on Biological Diversity, the Mataatua Declaration Association and other international organizations.

For further information please visit
http://www.earthcall.org
or contact the organizing committee:

Aroha Mead
Aroha.Mead(at)vuw.ac.nz or
earthcircle(at)hotmail.com

Alejandro Argumedo
ipbn(at)web.net