RI to discuss local communities' protection

RI to discuss local communities' protection

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's delegation to a upcoming
international conference on biodiversity will discuss the
collective rights of traditional communities.

"The topic will cover indigenous and local communities' rights
to their traditional knowledge, innovations and practices --
which our country has plenty of," Aca Sugandhy, the delegation's
chairman said yesterday.

The delegation will attend the third Conference of Parties to
the Convention on Biodiversity (COP III CBD) in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, from Nov. 4 to 15. The second conference was held in
Jakarta last year while the first in the Bahamas in 1994. The
conferences followed up the issuing of the convention at the 1992
Earth Summit in Brazil.

"The issue will be brought forward so that there will be
appropriate protection of collective rights of traditional
communities," Aca said.

Other issues to be addressed in the conference will be
intellectual property rights and access to genetic resources.

Aca cited the rampant piracy of traditional biological and
intellectual heritage by rich countries as one of the reasons
discussion and systems of enforcement are needed.

Intellectual property rights and collective rights of
traditional communities are "two sides of one issue", Aca said.

Aca made the comments while reporting the names of the
delegation to State Minister of Environment. The Indonesian
delegation will comprise 15 government officials and experts.

He said environmental organizations and the press will also be
welcomed to join the delegation.

To date 158 countries have ratified the convention on
biodiversity, which commits governments to conservation and
recognition of sovereignty over natural resources. In Asia,
Thailand is among those which have not ratified the convention.

In the United States, President Bill Clinton has signed the
convention but the Congress is yet to pass it. Observers believe
that strong U.S. corporate interests have opposed equal sharing
of resources from developing countries. (26)