The leader of the Brazilian Amazon’s Huni Kui people remains hopeful that a planned United Nations treaty will advance the fight against biopiracy: the pillaging of traditional knowledge and genetic resources.

However, discussions towards concluding the agreement are progressing “very slowly”, Chief Ninawa told AFP on the sidelines of the treaty talks at the headquarters of the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva.

Wearing traditional costume, Ninawa officially blessed the WIPO diplomatic conference, with music and song, during a ceremony in front of negotiators.

“Indigenous peoples have always placed their trust in the UN”, he said, though he deplored that though there were “declarations and recommendations to states, things do not change” — and the plundering of traditional knowledge continues.

But “we want to keep faith in the UN”, he said.

The draft treaty being finalised at WIPO — the UN’s agency for patenting, IP and innovation — has been in the works for more than 20 years following a first request launched by Colombia in 1999.

It would require patent applicants to disclose the country of origin of an invention’s genetic resources, and whether it is based on traditional knowledge.

– Traditional medicine pirated –

“Many plants are used in traditional medicine. Companies are appropriating this knowledge to make perfumes and medicines,” Ninawa said.

While natural genetic resources — such as those found in medicinal plants, agricultural crops and animal breeds — cannot be directly protected as intellectual property, inventions developed using them can be patented.

These resources are increasingly used by companies in everything from cosmetics to seeds, medicines, biotechnology and food supplements, and have enabled considerable progress in health, climate and food security, according to the UN.

But developing countries deplore that patents are granted without Indigenous peoples being informed, for so-called inventions that are not really new because they are based on traditional knowledge.

Source: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/amazonian-chief-un-combat-traditional-171538226.html?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=87761705&utm_content=87761705&utm_source=hs_email

We can’t even operate on our own lands without being harassed, it’s just wild to me,’ a worker said after the previous February raid

British Columbia’s Community Safety Unit (CSU), the provincial authority for cannabis law, has again raided a series of pot shops on Indigenous land. The unit was assisted by the RCMP.

This is the second time this year that the unlicensed Vancouver Island shops on the K’ómoks First Nation were descended upon by law enforcement. The first occurrence was on Valentine’s Day.

Significant quantities of cannabis products were seized. A lawyer representing one of the shops told Global News that they were trying to set up a meeting with the CSU when the raids occurred Thursday.

The Butterfly Effect, one of the dispensaries, says they took about C$10,000 worth of merchandise.

“That’s a lot of medicine that they have taken, not just from us but from our people,” co-owner Amanda Chartrand said. She added that there were more pressing issues that needed to be addressed in the community than weed goodies.

“We have other significant community safety issues they are not supporting us with, like trespassing, criminal activities and animal control on our lands,” the First Nation said. They think they are being unfairly targeted while others get to operate freely.

Source:  https://mugglehead.com/bc-authorities-raid-unlicensed-indigenous-pot-shops-in-comox-again/