A few weeks ago, the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore was held in Geneva. One key development were the steps taken by delegates from the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)  towards a legally binding agreement to protect traditional knowledge and genetic resources from exploitation. Unfortunately indigenous groups attending this meeting claim they were excluded from this process.

Working toward such a global agreement is a a good thing. Genetic resources and traditional knowledge have made enormous contributions to the improvement of human livelihoods and to the technological and medical advancements of society. For example many of the huge developments made in our modern agriculture (resistant crop strains etc)  have their basis in genetic resources from wild plants. Traditional knowledge, apart from being an important cultural cornerstone, is often the key factor that helps conserve and develop genetic resources in developing countries. Obviously genetic resources that underpin food and agriculture production are seen as very valuable tradable assets that could (and should) benefit the national economies of many developing countries rich in biodiversity. But while developing countries hold approximately 90% of the worlds biological diversity, including genetic resources, the profits reaped by developing marketable products from these resources are made by corporations in developed countries.

Indigenous people in developing countries have been identified as particularly vulnerable to the above developments, as a consequence of their low political leverage. Indigenous people are often the stewards of local knowledge that supports the maintenance of these key genetic resources (i.e through specific types of local farming methods). They have been garnering slow improvements in their situation, such as the creation of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB).

It is saddening then to read this report that indigenous groups attending this meeting have launched an official complaint that their "proposals have been ignored and their views dismissed without consideration.". Read the full joint statement here. Navigating this issue in an inclusive way is vital for its long-term success. Hopefully this was a blip in the process and the WIPO will now open up for indigenous groups to be actively involved in the negotiations leading to a binding agreement on genetic resources and local knowledge.