SOUTHVIEWS NO. 276 WWW.SOUTHCENTRE. INT @SOUTH_CENTRE 29 October 2024 - Can international

considered under the discussions held by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Not just recognizing the right to prior informed consent upcoming discussion at the World Intellectual Property and benefit sharing, but more importantly, the right to Organization (WIPO), particularly regarding traditional their traditional land and waters, the right to their knowledge protection. [...] them recognize the paramount contribution of these collectivities in fostering innovation, their right to It is paramount for humanity to see that there is no consent to access and to utilization, and their right to hierarchy between knowledges; traditional and the fair and equitable benefit sharing arising from the conventional sciences have the same value as a science. [...] Many modern medicines, almost all our staple foods — which feed If the patent system can recognize the importance of billions worldwide — exist due to the innovation brought the work of innovators of Cartesian science, and thus about by traditional science, and when I say traditional protect innovation and the generation of modern science, I mean IPLCs’ science. [...] The CBD, the United technologies, it should also be able to recognize the Nations International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources importance of the work as innovators of indigenous for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty), the Agreement peoples and local communities and be an instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the for protecting traditional science and its social Sea on th. [...] information (DSI), for innovation and the generation of new products, will still be necessary for societies to Author: Henry de Novion is Director of Genetic consume the products that result from use of these Heritage of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment sequences.