League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development,
Annual Report 2006 6
Susanne Gura of LPP presented a statement focusing on Livestock Keep-
ers' Rights and patents. The World Intellectual Property Organization is
eager for the subject of animal genetic resources to be raised during the
sessions of this committee. But there remains the question about whether
this is the most effective forum to raise such issues.
Pastoralist gathering in Yabello rangelands
Ethiopia, 1019 July 2006
This gathering brought together more than 300 pastoralists from 60 ethnic
groups and 18 countries, including the Horn of Africa, West Africa, Pales-
tine, India and Peru. Hosted by the Borana community in the Yabello
rangelands of southern Ethiopia, the meeting was organized by the Pas-
toral Communication Initiative of the United Nations Office for the Coordina-
tion of Humanitarian Affairs.
Two pastoralist representatives from India (Bagdi Ram Raika and Hanwant
Singh of LPPS) attended, along with LPP's Ilse Köhler-Rollefson.
Most of the meeting was devoted to identifying and discussing practical
issues of concern to pastoralists. These included:
·
What should be the relationship between government and custom-
ary institutions?
·
How can pastoral organizations organize themselves to be recog-
nized. What should be their activities?
·
How can pastoralists help reduce barriers to trade in livestock and
their products?
·
How can local pastoral products be facilitated and local ownership
be encouraged?
·
How can the impact of droughts and other risks be reduced?
·
How can local animal breeds be improved, and herders' rights in
the genetic resources of their animals be protected?
The results of the discussions were then discussed with policy makers, do-
nors and United Nations officials.
Ilse Köhler-Rollefson facilitated a working group on genetic resources. This
group made the following recommendations:
·
The formation of breeders' associations should be encouraged and
supported through training and capacity-building.
·
There should be networking and information exchange about the
value of indigenous breeds and intellectual property issues.
·
Pastoral organizations should document the history and length of
use of their breeds.
·
Pastoral advocacy groups should lobby on intellectual property is-
sues in relevant international forums such as WIPO.
·
Livestock Keepers' Rights should be discussed at the Interlaken
conference on animal genetic resources.
Two policy makers, from Kenya and Puntland, picked up the issue of pat-
enting and vowed to fight for pastoralists' rights in this respect.
While it was gratifying to see that the issue got so much attention, facts can
be distorted easily. For example, one Kenyan parliamentarian from a pas-
toralist background stated (incorrectly) that Australia had patented both the
acacia tree and Boran cattle.