Article 8(j) has received the most attention by international parties seeking to understand and protect traditional knowledge.
Access to forest genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge and benefit sharing (ABS)
In 2005, the Government of Canada began consultations with interested parties in preparation for its participation in the development of an international regime for ABS, under the Convention on Biological Diversity. A discussion paper is available, entitled "ABS policies in Canada"
Agenda 21, para. 15.4 (g) (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, 1992)
This paragraph of Agenda 21 reads: "Governments at the appropriate level, with the cooperation of the relevant United Nations bodies and regional, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the private sector and financial institutions, and taking into consideration indigenous people and their communities, as well as social and economic factors, should . . . Recognize and foster the traditional methods and the knowledge of indigenous people and their communities, emphasizing the particular role of women, relevant to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources, and ensure the opportunity for the participation of those groups in the economic and commercial benefits derived from the use of such traditional methods and knowledge . . . ."
WIPO has done extensive research and consultations at the international level regarding the existing and potential linkages between intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge.
