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Power Relations in the Traditional Knowledge Debate: A Critical Analysis of Forums

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2011

Charles Kamau Maina
Charles Kamau Maina
Affiliation:
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario, Canada. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

An ongoing debate on the protection of traditional knowledge was prompted by the United Nations General Assembly declaration of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples in 1995 and the declaration of the Second International Decade in 2004. These two declarations challenged governments and the international community to address, nationally and internationally, issues that affect indigenous communities. One such issue is the protection of traditional knowledge. The three key international multilateral forums that are debating traditional knowledge issues are the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Using a political economy framework, this study analyzes the policymaking processes and mandates of the three multilateral forums in order to highlight stakeholders' levels of involvement in these processes. The study found that the multilateral forums' power structures, mandates, and decision-making processes disadvantage indigenous peoples and hinder their full participation in the forums' processes. The study recommends establishing a forum that would take into account indigenous peoples' worldviews; otherwise policy outcomes from these discussions will probably disadvantage indigenous peoples.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Cultural Property , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , May 2011 , pp. 143 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © International Cultural Property Society 2011

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