Cali, Colombia, Nov 1 (EFE).- “For any type of genetic material there is ancestral knowledge associated with it,” said Cristiane Juliao of Brazil’s Pankararu indigenous people. This was said about the discussion at COP16 in Colombia on the use and fair sharing of the benefits of genetic sequencing, which she views with distrust.
Although the presence of indigenous peoples and local communities at the conference has been emphasized so that their voices are heard, Juliao says she has “the ‘distrust meter’ at one million” and says “it is too good to be true.” The indigenous peoples will wait until Friday, when the negotiations end, to know if their voices were heard.
Throughout the summit, access and sharing of benefits of genetic resources and digital sequencing have been discussed. Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Susana Muhamad stressed that it is “one of the least discussed and socialized issues.” She added that it is “absolutely strategic in the economies of the 21st century.”
“The greatest challenge of the debate on genetic resources at COP16 will be compensation for their use, which is why it is necessary to build an intercultural, multidisciplinary, and intergenerational process,” said Yolanda Terán, representative of Ecuador’s Kichwa people.
Guaraná and Açaí
The topic of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources is complex and, many times, difficult to understand. This is why Juliao uses the examples of the cases of guaraná and açaí, Amazon fruits that are now consumed all over the world.
Indigenous peoples have always used guaraná as an energy supplement that “comes from an ancestral spiritual force.” However, someone came to their jungles and, after trying “to have that same connection” and not succeeding, began to investigate until “discovering” guaraná and kept that distinction.
“Traditional knowledge does not receive the recognition that someone else has in the eyes of the world,” Juliao laments.
Açaí is a similar case, now consumed all over the world, but which was patented by Japan despite being native to the Amazon. This infringes the intellectual property of biogenetic resources, says the indigenous leader.
It will not be until Friday when COP16 officially ends – although negotiations could be extended for a couple of days – when the final decisions and agreements on genetic resources will be known. In the meantime, indigenous peoples continue to demand their role in this discussion. EFE
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