Addressee: SPFII, Member States, UN agencies, NGOs, Academics and Indigenous Peoples Organisations

Paragraph #145Session #6 (2007)

Full Text

The Permanent Forum expresses appreciation to Mr. Michael Dodson for his concept paper on traditional knowledge, and recommends that the paper be widely circulated. The Permanent Forum invites States, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and indigenous peoples and their organizations and academic institutions to submit written comments to the secretariat for consideration at the seventh session of the Permanent Forum. The Permanent Forum welcomes the support and notes that the recommendation in paragraph 24 of the report of the Special Rapporteur states that: “the Permanent Forum should commission a study ... to determine whether there ought to be a shift in the focus on the protection of indigenous traditional knowledge away from intellectual property law to protection via customary law ... The study should consider how indigenous traditional knowledge could be protected at an international level by utilizing customary law, including the extent to which customary law should be reflected, thereby providing guidance to States and, subsequently, protection at national and regional levels”. The Permanent Forum would particularly welcome written submissions addressing the above recommendation. The Permanent Forum re-appoints Mr. Dodson as Special Rapporteur to present a follow-up study on indigenous traditional knowledge, taking into account the written submissions, and to present the report to the seventh session of the Permanent Forum in 2008.

Responses

The concept paper on indigenous traditional knowledge (E/C.19/2007/10), and prepared by the Special Rapporteur on the subject, Michael Dodson. The Permanent Forum recommended that the paper be widely circulated and that there be a call for written submission on how indigenous traditional knowledge could be protected at the international level by utilizing customary law. Mr. Dodson, as Special Rapporteur, was requested to present a follow-up study on indigenous traditional knowledge (see E/2007/43, chap. I, sect. B, para. 145);

Final Report of UNPFII Session 6 (2007)