Philippines: Indigenous knowledge Takes on Climate Crisis

• September 03, 2023

Source: United Nation News

In the mountainous province of Bukidnon in the southern Philippines, local indigenous groups are being forced to adapt to the alarming impacts of climate change. With UN support, communities are making significant strides, using centuries-old knowledge to forge sustainable solutions. Climate change is exacting a heavy toll on Filipinos’ lives, properties, and livelihoods. Left unaddressed, it could hamper the country’s ambition of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2040. Many farmers have reported longer and more severe periods of drought and rainfall than previously considered normal. Floods wiped out more than a dozen houses of community members along the Pulangi River in 2012 and 2013.

Year of millets: harnessing indigenous knowledge systems

• September 02, 2023

Source: The Hindustan Times

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, celebrated on 9 August every year, assumed relevance with the International Year of Millets being observed in 2023. The convergence spurred exciting conversations on revisiting the linkage between traditional grains, nutrition, resilience and food sovereignty. The dialogue around millet is connecting the dots from local to global, and India, with its growing leadership narrative from the global south, is shaping policy conversations and knowledge exchanges that link the farm to fork, or should we say seeds to empowerment?

Traditional knowledge systems, interlinked repositories: Nations discuss priority areas

• August 29, 2023

Source: Indian Express

Traditional and indigenous knowledge systems should be taken into account with contemporary science to foster evidence-based innovations that are culturally inspired and locally relevant, recommended an outcome document on 28 August 2023 as the G20-Chief Science Advisers’ Roundtable (CSAR) meetings concluded in Gandhinagar. Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said no specific model was discussed but what is important is to bring the traditional knowledge in the framework based on evidence-driven evaluations. Meanwhile, G20 countries also acknowledged the need to enable “immediate and universal access to appropriate publicly funded scholarly scientific knowledge to communities within and beyond G20 members”.

WHO Global Summit Signifies Increased Role of India in the Field of Traditional Medicine

• August 21, 2023

Source: Press Information Bureau

Union Minister of Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said that the first ever Global Summit on traditional medicine organised by World Health Organisation, and co-hosted by Ministry of Ayush, in Gandhinagar has proved to be historic in many ways. He said “the main outcomes of the global summit will be soon released by World Health Organisation in the form of Gujarat declaration. In the summit, WHO also has shared the initial findings of the global survey on Traditional Medicine that clearly indicates that the reach of Traditional Medicine is on rise across the globe. As per WHO the final survey will be released in November this Year”. The Union Minister Mr Sonowal elaborated on the Ministry of Ayush efforts on expanding the scope and work of Indian Systems of Traditional Medicine and said that five bilateral meet with Nepal, Malaysia, Qatar, Venezuela and Cuba proved very successful. India has invited all the countries involved in bilateral meet to share best practices and benefit from the work going on in India in the field of Traditional Medicine. These bilateral meetings has provided an opportunity for renewing of ties, and also exploring various initiatives for research, practices, education and training in the field of Ayurveda and other Traditional Medicine system.

Union Cabinet approves new Central Sector Scheme ‘PM Vishwakarma’ to support traditional artisans and craftspeople of rural and urban India

• August 16, 2023

Source: Press Information Bureau

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi  approved a new Central Sector Scheme “PM Vishwakarma” with a financial outlay of Rs.13,000 crore for a period of five years (FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28) on 16 August 2023. The scheme aims to strengthen and nurture the Guru-Shishya parampara or family-based practice of traditional skills by artisans and craftspeople working with their hands and tools. The scheme also aims at improving the quality, as well as the reach of products and services of artisans and craftspeople and to ensure that the Vishwakarmas are integrated with the domestic and global value chains.

First-ever WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat

• August 16, 2023

Source: Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Ayush and World Health Organisation are organising the two day Traditional Medicine Global Summit, on 17th and 18th August 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Secretary, Ministry of Ayush Mr Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha brief the media on 16 August 2023 at Gandhinagar, Gujrat ahead of the first global summit on traditional medicine. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Shri Lav Agarwal also addressed the media. The Union AYUSH Secretary highlighted that the Global Centre on Traditional Medicines in Jamnagar, Gujarat, established by the WHO, is the first such centre in a developing country. He also informed that the WHO will convene the Traditional Medicine Global Summit, co-hosted by the Ministry of AYUSH, on 17th and 18th August, 2023 in Gandhinagar which will explore the role of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health challenges and driving progress in global health and sustainable development.

NEHHDC, Tide join hands to promote small weavers and artisans of North East India

• August 16, 2023

Source: The Economic Times

In a bid to digitise the handloom and handicraft sector in North East India, Tide, UK's SME-focused business financial platform has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC). As part of the year-long partnership, the company will look at bolstering scalability, financial inclusion and market reach for the community of nearly 2.1 million handloom weavers and 3.5 million handicraft artisans across 800 clusters in Northeast India. As a part of the MoU, Tide will help in financial and digital inclusion of weavers and artisans from the region and host mentor panels and masterclasses with in-house experts in leadership, marketing, capital investment, hiring and payroll, taxation, and legal, among others. The company will also help the community network and build capabilities through a series of annual national-level SME events.

Traditional Institutions: Government of Meghalaya has already notified several Sacred Forests as Community Reserves under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

• August 10, 2023

Institutions such as traditional village durbars in Meghalaya play a vital role in Meghalaya’s society and economy, inter alia environmental conservation and raising awareness about sustainable practices.  The traditions such as conservation of sacred groves, prevention of over-exploitation of natural resources such as forests; managing springs and other water sources wisely, customary law discouraging hunting of wild animals, are helpful in protecting ecology. Government of Meghalaya has already notified several sacred forests as Community Reserves under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.  Also, the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats and the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) of the Government have brought development to the communities by providing them alternative livelihood opportunities.

World Tribal Day: know history, theme, importance of Indigenous People

• August 09, 2023

Source: Business Standard

The World Tribal Day is observed on August 9 every year to support and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous people. Today is also the day to acknowledge the important contributions and achievements of the tribal communities around the world towards making a better world, such as environmental conservation. Also referred to as World Indigenous Day or International Day of World's Indigenous People, this day offers an excellent chance to effectively work towards defending the fundamental rights of tribal communities around the world.

Three New Studies on Indigenous Conservation for International Indigenous Peoples Day

• August 09, 2023

Source: Mongabay : News and Inspiration from Nature's Frontline

Indigenous peoples and local communities have critical intimate knowledge of climate change impacts and adaptation options in their lands while the majority of those lands are under threat from industrial development, according to scientists and other researchers involved with three studies. Coinciding with the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, August 9, researchers involved with a study of Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ in-depth knowledge of climate change impacts and adaptation are calling for scientists and policy-makers to recognize that knowledge, which includes changes in atmospheric, physical and biological systems as well as impacts on local livelihoods.