GGCA Gender and Climate Change Training Manual - Women's ...

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It should be noted that the CBD is the only environmental agreement
mentioned in the Beijing Platform of Action, in its point K: “Encourage, subject to
national legislation and consistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity,
the effective protection and use of the knowledge, innovations and practices
of women of indigenous and local communities, including practices relating to
traditional medicines, biodiversity and indigenous technologies, and endeavour
to ensure that these are respected, maintained, promoted and preserved in
an ecologically sustainable manner, and promote their wider application with
the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge; in addition,
safeguard the existing intellectual property rights of these women as protected
under national and international law; work actively, where necessary, to
find additional ways and means for the effective protection and use of such
knowledge, innovations and practices, subject to national legislation and
consistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity and relevant international
law, and encourage fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the
utilization of such knowledge, innovation and practices”. 37
With respect to gender or women, Paragraph 13 of the Preamble to the
CBD states: “Recognizing also the vital role that women play in the conservation
and sustainable use of biological diversity and affirming the need for the full
participation of women at all levels of policy-making and implementation for
biological diversity conservation...” No other reference is made to the theme
anywhere in the rest of the Convention text.
Other provisions have arisen out of various Conferences of the Parties
(COP) and working groups. Most have occurred thanks to the proposals of
indigenous and community groups under Article 8(j):
• Decision V/16: Article 8(j) and related provisions: “Recognizing the
vital role that women play in the conservation and sustainable
use of biodiversity, and emphasizing that greater attention should be
given to strengthening this role and the participation of women of
indigenous and local communities in the programme of work.”
• Programme of Work on the implementation of Article 8(j) and related
provisions of the CBD: 1. General Principles: “Full and effective
participation of women of indigenous and local communities in all
activities of the programme of work.”
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Strategic Objective K.1, 253c.