Tshwane — The protection of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will come under the spotlight at a three-day workshop in Zambia, starting Tuesday.

The theme of the workshop is "Indigenous knowledge systems policy development, a regional framework collaboration." It is a follow up to a similar workshop held in Pretoria in 2004.

The workshop is being hosted by the Zambian government in collaboration with the Department of Science of and Technology.

It will focus on authorities forging ahead with the development of a policy to ensure an end to the misappropriation of IKS in the region.

South Africa's Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena is expected to give a keynote address at the workshop.

The workshop is expected to bring together government officials, researchers, civil society and practitioners and holders of indigenous knowledge to discuss policy development.

Minister Mangena said the purpose of this initiative was to provide a platform for dialogue in a bid to seek balance between the protection and use of IKS within a regional policy framework.

There are also aspects of indigenous knowledge that must be developed in their context.

"Such holistic and context based knowledge has to be recognised and must be brought into the sphere of national policy implementation and rewarded accordingly," said Minister Mangena.

For this to happenthese forms of knowledge had to be documented and systematised and the information fed to government initiatives at all levels.

South Africa has just established the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Office (NIKSO) in the Department of Science and Technology.

It will address emerging policy developmental challenges around the protection of indigenous knowledge systems in the country.

NIKSO has since established a programme of action in terms of networking with key role players to ensure synergies in developing related policies.

Among others, NIKSO will commence with the development of IKS databases preceding an audit of those existing at various institutions in the coming year.

Another exciting initiative in this area is the establishment of IKS Chairs, to be based within higher education institutions, which focuses on national priorities.

In the coming year NIKSO together with South Africa's research organisation - the National Research Foundation (NRF) will establish chairs in the following priority areas: traditional medicines, knowledge studies and indigenous food security.

"In our work, we want to ensure that projects actually benefit indigenous peoples on many fronts such as:

• Promoting their human rights and African cultural values;

• Creating wealth in their communities;

• Strengthening their ability to get organised; and

• Advocacy for change."

"We also want them to get more involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of these projects," says Minister Mangena.

It is anticipated that a plan of action in establishing a regional framework in this regard, will be produced at the workshop.

More importantly, the workshop develops from a SADC ministerial workshop on Policy Development in Science and Technology that was held in Mozambique in May 2003.

It was here member states agreed that the importance of IKS as a springboard to innovation be brought to the fore based on the developments around the Hoodia Plant and the Devil's Claw.

In addition, member states reiterated their profound concern on the misappropriation of the systems.

They also identified the potential strife with regard to intellectual property rights as indigenous groups overlap between member states.

The workshop will also seek a political agreement among regional countries to define coordinating mechanisms around the protection of indigenous knowledge.

It will also focus on establishing a stance for multilateral discussions.

A representative from the World Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (WIPRO) are also expected to address delegates.

A representative based at the African Regional Office on Intellectual Property Rights in Zimbabwe, will present a commissioned paper on the thematic and substantive issues on protection of IKS.

The paper relates to Intergovernmental Committee on Traditional Knowledge/Expression of Folklore and Genetic Resources.