Brazzaville, 21 March 2006 -- How should African Traditional Medical Knowledge be protected?

This is the central question being considered by more than 60 experts including lawyers, conventional and traditional health practitioners, researchers, public health specialists and scientists, among others, who on Tuesday began a four-day workshop in Brazzaville, Congo.

The workshop, jointly organized by WHO Regional Office for Africa and the African Union Scientific, Technical and Research Commission, is examining and fine-tuning a draft Regulatory Framework for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Traditional Medical Knowledge. The framework was developed by WHO.

Opening the workshop, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, urged the forum to come up with recommendations which would facilitate the adaptation of the framework by countries for the protection of intellectual property rights through national legislation.

Dr Sambo’s message was read on his behalf by the Director of the Division of Non-communicable Diseases at the Regional Office, Dr Rufaro Chatora.

The Regional Director noted the lack of consensus on the “very difficult questions of rights and equity regarding the protection of intellectual property rights especially in the context of African traditional medicine”. He also said that countries in the region were concerned about the need to protect traditional medical knowledge and secure a fair and equitable sharing of benefits that may derive from it on mutually agreed terms.

He added that it was in response to this that WHO developed the draft framework which the workshop was expected to review and finalize.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Scientific, Technical and Research Commission of the African Union, Dr Mohamed Khalil Timamy, stated that the final version of the framework should include a provision that makes it illegal for any country to resort to unilateral coercive measures if that country’s IPR system is in conflict with that of another African country.

The objectives of the workshop are to:

• identify key elements in African traditional medical knowledge and traditional medicine that need to be documented and protected
• develop mechanisms for legal recognition and protection of the key elements identified
• agree critical strategy options that countries need to consider in formulating and implementing national legislations
• develop mechanisms for legal recognition and innovations derived from key elements of traditional medical knowledge systems and traditional medicine
• agree on current legal and policy issues that would address the pertinent challenges of exploitation of African biodiversity.

For more information contact:

Technical contact

Dr Ossy MJ Kasilo

Tel: + 47 241 39268

Email:   kasiloo [at] afro.who.int

Media contact

Samuel  Ajibola 

Tel. + 47 241 39378 

Email: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int