Welcome to the United Nations
Addressee: Conservation organizations, IPOs
Full Text
The Permanent Forum supports collaborations between indigenous groups and conservation organizations that bring together traditional and scientific knowledge holders to add the wealth of current and historical knowledge of indigenous peoples to the analysis of impacts of climate change and to mitigation solutions and adaptation strategies — recognizing and respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the provisions of article 8 (j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Responses
SCBD reports: New recommendations arising from both the 7th session (2008) and the 8th session (2009) of the UNPFII made to the Convention will be considered at the 6th meeting of the Working Group on Article 8(j) and related provisions, when it meets in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2-6 November, 2009 and then forwarded to the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties for final endorsement and action (October 2010, Nagoya, Japan). However, it is important to note that some of the recommendations arising from the report of the UNPFII at its 7th session (refer document E/2008/43) are already in the process of being addressed and/or may be related to previous recommendations and current processes. The Secretariat therefore takes this opportunity for a quick update on new recommendations.
Article 8(j) requires that parties to the Convention (subject to national legislation) “respect” traditional knowledge. In implementing this obligation, the Convention is considering ways and means that traditional knowledge can be valued alongside of scientific knowledge in pursuit of the goals of the Convention. The recent work on climate change and biodiversity including the International Expert Meeting on Responses to Climate Change for Indigenous and Local Communities and the Impact on their Traditional Knowledge related to Biological Diversity -The Arctic Region, held in Helsinki, 25-28 March 2008, provided an avenue to explore how these two pools of knowledge can be complementary and equally valued.
Article 8 (j) requires that each party to the Convention, subject to its national legislation respect traditional knowledge. In implementing this obligation, the Conference of the Parties is considering ways and means to enable traditional knowledge to be valued alongside scientific knowledge in pursuing the goals of the Convention. The recent work on climate change and biodiversity, including the international expert meeting for the Arctic region on responses to climate change for indigenous and local communities and the impact on their traditional knowledge related to biological diversity held in Helsinki from 25 to 28 March 2008, provided an avenue to explore how these two pools of knowledge could be complementary and equally valued.
Final Report of UNPFII Session 7 (2008)
Area of Work
