Media
“Two Eyed Seeing”—Embracing Both Indigenous and Western Perspectives in Healthcare
- November 13, 2023
Source: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
One way to make healthcare more equitable and effective for Indigenous peoples is to incorporate their knowledge, beliefs, values, practices, medicines, and models of health and healing alongside those of western medicine in delivering healthcare. Known as “two eyed seeing,” this approach to healthcare sees from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of western knowledge, respectfully embracing both. Two eyed seeing acknowledges that Indigenous methods and treatments are as valid as those used in mainstream medicine, and it allows Indigenous peoples to be partners in their own healthcare
Leaning Into Indigenous Knowledge on Climate Change
- October 28, 2023
Source: Knowable Magazine
Today, anthropologists and climate researchers in Western institutions are increasingly turning to Indigenous people to ask what they have observed about the world around them. In the process, these scientists are learning that Indigenous communities have been cataloging, in their own way, data about change at a hyper-local level — insights that Westernised climate science might miss — and also how that change is affecting people.
Missed opportunity: on the Australia referendum on giving voice to Indigenous peoples
- October 21, 2023
Source: The Hindu
In the recent Australia referendum on the Voice, a proposed body comprising members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people to advise the country’s Parliament on laws impacting this vulnerable group, voters dropped the plan by a resounding 60% margin, rejecting an opportunity to amend their constitution for the first time in almost 50 years towards a more inclusive ethos. The idea of the referendum came from a historic 2017 summit of Indigenous peoples, which announced the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ and called for a treaty between the Australian government and the indigenous community as well as a commission to promote “truth-telling about our history”.
Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Action at UNGIYF
- October 19, 2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
This session, held on the 18th of October, focused on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and on the way forward towards COP 16. Indigenous Youth participating in the panel remarked on the important role played by Indigenous Peoples in biodiversity conservation efforts. Their traditional knowledge is the key for preserving biodiversity, and it did so for centuries: nowadays 80% of all remaining biodiversity on a global scale is found within Indigenous territories. This is why these Indigenous Youth advocate for a greater presence of traditional knowledge, together with scientific one, in the international mechanisms aimed at preserving biodiversity. Furthermore, Indigenous Youth raised the issue of the involvement and participation of Indigenous Peoples in conservation and restoration projects. The guardians of biodiversity should have more space and a stronger voice in the decision-making processes, and their Free, Prior and Informed Consent is needed when implementing any project that may affect them.
Meghalaya Traditional Healing Clinic Inaugurated in Ri Bhoi, Receives Government Funding
- October 03, 2023
Source: The Meghalayan
Traditional healers in Ri Bhoi district witnessed a moment of joy and support as the State government provided financial assistance for the construction and inauguration of the Meghalaya Traditional Healing Clinic in Pahamsyiem, Ri Bhoi. The clinic will be overseen by the Ri Bhoi Traditional Healer Association (RBTHA). The construction of this traditional clinic, focused on medicinal plants, was made possible through a funding of 8 lakhs from the Department of Bio-Resource Development Center, Shillong.
IBSD Promoting Women Bio-entrepreneurship in Orchid Floriculture at Ri-Bhoi
- October 03, 2023
Source: KRC Times
Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) organized a program on “Promoting Women Bio-entrepreneurship in Orchid Floriculture” in collaboration with Bio Resource Development Centre (BRDC) at Umsning Block of Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya on 3 October 2023. During the occasion, Chief Guest Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Meghalaya, dedicated the facilities developed under the BioNEST incubator for the beneficiaries of Umsning Block in Ri-Bhoi. The Minister commended Sister Merly Tom Kizhakhayil for her efforts in training pupils in orchid floriculture. Dr. Celestine Lyngdoh, MLA of Umsning and Guest of Honour, commended the collaborative initiatives of IBSD and BRDC in building facilities in Umsning to promote orchid floriculture among women.
Ministry of Textiles approved 18 R&D projects valuing INR 46.74 Crores across different areas of Technical Textiles
- September 28, 2023
Source: Press Information Bureau
Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal said that Industry and Institute’s pro-active and robust engagement is essential for the indigenous development of technical textiles in India, while chairing the 7th Meeting of the Mission Steering Group (MSG) of National Technical Textiles Mission in New Delhi on 28 September 2023. Ministry of Textiles approved 18 R&D projects worth INR 46.74 crores across key strategic areas of Geotech, Protech, Indutech, Sustainable Textiles, Sportech, Smart E-Textiles, Meditech segments during the 7th MSG meeting.
Indigenous Children at High Risk of Being in Child Labour
- September 27, 2023
Source: ILO Newsroom
A new analysis by the International Labour Organization (ILO) reveals that children from indigenous communities face a significant risk of child labour and often don’t have access to education. According to the findings, indigenous children face educational disadvantages, making them more vulnerable to child labour. In the studied countries, indigenous children have lower school attendance rates compared to others, especially indigenous girls. The “Issue paper on child labour and education exclusion among indigenous children ” shows that indigenous children are greatly overrepresented in hazardous jobs. Most of them work in agriculture, but are also found in construction, commerce, manufacturing, and domestic work
Why protection of genetic resources and traditional knowledge matters
- September 08, 2023
Source: Jakarta Post
Representatives of the 193 member nations of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are gathering at WIPO headquarters to negotiate a proposed new regulation during the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) Special Session this week. Their aim is to formulate a legal text or basic proposal for a diplomatic conference on intellectual property (IP), genetic resources (GR) and traditional knowledge (TK) associated with GR, scheduled for early 2024. If agreed upon, the legal instrument would provide for a more transparent, just and effective IP regime – one that would facilitate benefit-sharing and deter misappropriation of GR and associated TK. Such a system has been sorely missing from the global IP system, where cases of misappropriation of GR are common, usually at the expense of developing countries, including Indonesia.
‘Gujarat Declaration’ underlining outcome of the first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit 2023 released
- September 04, 2023
Source: Press Information Bureau
World Health Organization (WHO) has released the outcome document of first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit 2023 in form of “Gujarat Declaration”. The declaration reaffirmed global commitments towards indigenous knowledges, biodiversity and traditional, complementary and integrative medicine. WHO underlined that the application of rigorous scientific methods is needed to better understand, assess and, where appropriate, apply more holistic, context-specific, complex and personalized approaches for health and well-being for all. It reiterates that India as host of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre at Jamnagar, Gujarat has an important role in scaling up WHO’s capacities to support member states and stakeholders in taking forward the summit action agenda and other relevant priorities.