ICTSD is holding together with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property a workshop with the representatives of indigenous and local communities funded by WIPO's voluntary fund to participate at the twelfth session of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) which is scheduled for 25-29 February 2008 at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva. The workshop is scheduled for 22-23 February 2008 at the Château de Bossey close to Geneva.

The IGC was set up in 2000, by the WIPO General Assembly, to address intellectual property issues with regard to genetic resources, traditional knowledge (TK) and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs). The 2007 WIPO General Assembly invited the IGC "to accelerate its work and to present a progress report to the [2008] General Assembly." The renewed mandate also underlined that "no outcome of its work is excluded, including the possible development of an international instrument or instruments."

Indigenous and other local communities have actively contributed to the deliberations of the IGC in past years. Their participation is now facilitated by the WIPO Voluntary Contribution Fund1 for Accredited Indigenous and Local Communities established in 2005 in order to facilitate the participation of indigenous and local communities in the work of the IGC.

The workshop will include presentations by experts, representatives from indigenous and local communities, government officials and members of the Secretariats of WIPO, CBD, and WTO, with the view of promoting a lively informal exchange of views and ideas on how to best address the issues of prime concern to local and indigenous communities being discussed at the IGC.

1. See: www.wipo.int/tk/en/ngoparticipation/voluntary_fund/index.html