Terralingua Publishes Biocultural Diversiy Toolkit

With a view to making the concept and some of the applications of biocultural diversity more widely known to researchers, professionals, policy makers, and the general public, Terralingua has published the Biocultural Diversity Toolkit.

Since 1996, Terralingua has spearheaded research and applied work that have helped forge an integrated biocultural perspective on nature conservation and sustainable development: an approach that respects diversity in both nature and culture, and that recognizes the inextricable link between humans and the natural environment as vital to achieving human development in balance with nature. There are many hopeful signs of growing awareness of the critical importance of biocultural diversity for the vitality and resilience of our planet. Yet, stemming the continued erosion of life systems in both nature and culture requires a decisive effort to communicate, educate, share insights, and promote a new vision for human futures.

The Toolkit has 5  volumes:

1. Introduction to Biocultural Diversity;
2. Assessing the State of the World's Languages;
3. Assessing the Vitality of Traditional Environmental Knowledge;
4. Documenting and Revitalizing OralTraditions; and
5. Biocultural Approaches to Conservation and Development.

By bringing together several results of their work,  Terralingua  have assembled this publication, to help increase understanding of the complex changes that are weakening the biocultural fabric of life, and to foster action to counter this trend. They have drawn from collaborations with key partners, including Natural Justice, with a chapter on Community Protocols by Kabir Sanjay Bavikatte and Harry Jonas in the 5th volume.

Human Rights Website Spotlights Conduct of Over 5600 Companies

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHR) launched its multi-lingual, re-designed website. The site shines a spotlight on the human rights conduct of over 5600 companies globally: it includes advances they are making, allegations of human rights abuse, and how they are responding to concerns.

Key new features include:

• Full navigation and homepages in seven languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish;
•  “Big Issue” areas on topics ranging from information technology and human rights, to the UN Guiding Principles and calls for a binding international treaty;
• A searchable record of over 2000 approaches to companies, inviting them to respond to allegations of human rights abuse (with a global response rate of 70%);
• Commentary and blog posts by BHR’s global team, and easily-accessible regional and sector-specific briefing papers; and
• An effective search so users can get quickly to what they need.

According to Executive Director Phil Bloomer, the internet is a powerful driver for change in business and human rights, and company’s respect for rights, or allegations of abuse in its most remote supply chain, are no longer secret.  He believes the new website will position them even better  to achieve their aims: transparency of companies’ human rights performance; accountability and redress for abuse in their operations and supply chains; and empowerment for advocates of human rights in business around the world.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invites companies to respond publicly to human rights concerns raised by civil society: the new website makes these concerns and responses or non-responses far more accessible and searchable.  Recent cases have involved cement firms Italcementi and Titan in Egypt; Chevron in Cambodia; and Mitsubishi in Myanmar.  The site encompasses the full range of human rights issues relating to business – from labour rights, to pollution affecting health, to displacement for industrial and resource extraction projects.

The website also provides access to examples of advances by business, and guidance materials. Among recent examples are Ericsson’s guidance paper on human rights for ICT firms, General Electric’s program training women engineers in Saudi Arabia, and commitments by firms such as H&M to ensure living wages in their supply chains. In addition to the website, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is also on Twitter and Facebook.

A Hard-Fought Victory: Nagoya Protocol Achieves Requisite Numbers for Entry into Force

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization will enter into force on 12 October 2014 following its ratification by 51 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

This is a proud moment for Natural Justice, and other organisations that have worked tirelessly to bring this dream to fruition. Ever since its founding, Natural Justice has been supporting communities in exploring how biocultural community protocols can assist them to engage with Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) according to their values. This is in addition to the technical advice that NJ has constantly availed at all levels, from the sub-national to the international.

In the last weeks, 12 countries have deposited their instruments including Belarus, Burundi, Gambia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Peru, Sudan, Switzerland, Vanuatu, Uganda, and today, Uruguay.

In May, Namibia became the 35th country to accede to the Protocol, and the momentum picked up in the subsequent months, culminating in its entry into force. Natural Justice is proud to have partnered Namibia in achieving this success.

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization was adopted at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in 2010, in Nagoya, Japan, and significantly advances the objective of the Convention on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources by providing greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources. By promoting the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, and by strengthening the opportunities for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their use, the Protocol will create incentives to conserve biodiversity, sustainably use its components, and further enhance the contribution of biodiversity to sustainable development and human well-being.

Its entry into force will mean that the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol can now be held from 13 to 17 October 2014, concurrently with the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.

The Ratification of the Nagoya Protocol by 51 Parties to the CBD represents a major step towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 16, which states that, “by 2015, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization is in force and operational, consistent with national legislation.”

This major step will also  provide greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources, creating a framework that promotes the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge while strengthening the opportunities for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their use. Hence, the Protocol will create new incentives to conserve biodiversity, sustainably use its components, and further enhance the contribution of biodiversity to sustainable development and human well-being.

Seventh Session of EMRIP Wraps Up in Geneva

Joseph Itongwa, presenting at the NJ-ICCA

Consortium side event on access to justice

The 7th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP-7) took place from 7-11 July 2014 at the UN Headquarters (Palais des Nations) in Geneva. This session included a continuation of last year’s thematic study on access to justice, with a focus on Indigenous women, children, and persons with disabilities, as well as a new thematic study on disaster risk reduction. Natural Justice also co-hosted a lunch-time event with the ICCA Consortium on Monday 7 July. Overall, two key points of particular importance were: a) the multiple references to environmental issues (a notable shift over the past few sessions of EMRIP), and b) a more nuanced look at the special rights and types of marginalisation of groups within Indigenous peoples (women, youth and children, and persons with disabilities).

The Session saw a turnover in the Experts, with a new expert for the Asian region (Mr. Edtami Mansayagan from the Philippines) beginning his three-year term. The zero draft of the outcome document for the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples created much discussion, while the continuation of the study on access to justice raised a number of issues concerning Indigenous peoples' lands, territories and resources as well as reconciliatory and transformative justice.

When the draft study on disaster risk reduction was being considered, Natural Justice and the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) made a joint statement, presented by Joseph Itongwa, on on climate change and vulnerability, traditional knowledge systems, customary tenure rights and legal recognition and support for customary natural resource governance, and the role of territory-based systems of natural resource governance and conservation in climate change mitigation and adaptation and prevention of disasters. Several suggestions were taken on board in the revised version of the study and the Expert Mechanism Advice No. 7 contained therein, which is expected to be adopted at the next Human Rights Council session in September 2014.

Food and Climate Justice Research Validation Workshop Held

Natural Justice's Cath Traynor of joined Oxfamand partners at a Research Validation Workshop, on 8th July 2014, Pretoria Johannesburg. During the workshop a number of preliminary research pieces were presented, these included a review of the effects of climate change and adaptation mechanisms on women and small-holder farmers in Africa, a review of SADC level policies and protocols, and investments in agriculture, that affect women small-holder farmers. The preliminary findings were discussed and critiqued by participants. 

Country level research reports from several SADC countries were presented, and the specific climate change impacts, challenges and opportunities facing women small-holder farmers highlighted. A clear picture emerged, that women small-holder farmers, the majority of whom are reliant upon rainfed-agriculture, are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change.  Although there are some supportive policies, the realization of these on the ground is challenging at the national level.  Participants discussed ways to improve and develop the research and brain stormed potential policy products which could be developed and used for advocacy.