The protection of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has taken centre stage, with authorities forging ahead with the development of a policy to ensure an end to the misappropriation of such systems in the region.

For this reason, the Department of Science of and Technology in collaboration with the government of Zambia will be co-hosting a three-day workshop in that country from 27 March, bringing together government officials, researchers, civil society and practitioners and holders of indigenous knowledge to discuss policy development in this regard.

Taking place in Livingstone, the workshop is themed “Indigenous knowledge systems policy development, a regional framework collaboration” and is a follow up to the one held in Pretoria in 2004.

South Africa’s Science and Technology Minister, Mosibudi Mangena, says the overarching purpose of this initiative is to provide a platform for dialogue in a bid to seek balance between the protection and use of IKS within a regional policy framework.

Minister Mangena adds that there are also aspects of indigenous knowledge that must be developed in their context, in terms that are authentic to their nature which can serve as models for indigenous systems of knowledge and practice.

“Such holistic and context based knowledge has to be recognised and must be brought into the ambits of national policy implementation, and where appropriate, rewarded accordingly,” says the Minister.

“However, for this to happen, these forms of knowledge have to be documented and systematised, and the information fed to government initiatives at all levels.”

For its part, South Africa has just established the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Office (NIKSO) in the Department of Science and Technology, to address emerging policy developmental challenges around the protection of indigenous knowledge systems in the country.

NIKSO has since established a programme of action in terms of networking with key role players to ensure synergies in developing related policies.

Among others, NIKSO will commence with the development of IKS databases preceding an audit of those existing at various institutions in the coming year.

Another exciting initiative in this area is the establishment of IKS Chairs, to be based within higher education institutions, based on national priorities.  In the coming year NIKSO together with our research organisation – the National Research Foundation (NRF) – will establish chairs in the following priority areas:  traditional medicines, knowledge studies and indigenous food security.

“In our work, we want to ensure that projects actually benefit indigenous peoples on many fronts — promoting their human rights and African cultural values, creating wealth in their communities, and strengthening their ability to get organised and advocate for change. And we also want them to get more involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of these projects,” Minister Mangena says.

It is anticipated that a plan of action in establishing a regional framework in this regard, will be produced at the workshop.

More importantly, the workshop develops from a SADC ministerial workshop on Policy Development in Science and Technology held in Mozambique in May 2003, where member states agreed that the importance of IKS as a springboard to innovation be brought to the fore based on the developments around the Hoodia Plant and the Devil’s Claw.

In addition, member states reiterated their profound concern on the misappropriation of the systems and identified the potential strife with regard to intellectual property rights as indigenous groups overlap between member states.

Bearing this in mind, the workshop seeks a political agreement among regional countries to define coordinating mechanisms around the protection of indigenous knowledge, and establish a stance for multilateral discussions.

It is for this reason; each member state is expected to present an audit of their activities in this regard, including best practices, policy instruments, tools and technologies.

This is expected to help map the way forward in the harmonization of a region’s policy framework and consolidate the SADC position on the Intergovernmental Committee on Traditional Knowledge, Cultural Expression of Folklore and Genetic Resources towards an international binding instrument.

Minister Mangena will deliver the keynote address at the workshop.

Also expected to address the event include the World Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (WIPRO).

A representative based at the African Regional Office on Intellectual Property Rights in Zimbabwe, will present a commissioned paper on the thematic and substantive issues on protection of indigenous knowledge systems as it relates to Intergovernmental Committee on Traditional Knowledge/ Expression of Folklore and Genetic Resources.