From erukangira@iconnect.co.ke Wed Sep 8 00:42:45 1999 Received: from mxu3.u.washington.edu (mxu3.u.washington.edu [140.142.33.7]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.02/8.9.3+UW99.01) with ESMTP id AAA63098; Wed, 8 Sep 1999 00:42:43 -0700 Received: from siafu.iconnect.co.ke (upagraha.iconnect.co.ke [209.198.248.2]) by mxu3.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.09/8.9.3+UW99.08) with ESMTP id AAA29737; Wed, 8 Sep 1999 00:42:33 -0700 Received: from ppp85.iconnect.co.ke ([208.208.120.85] helo=iconnect.co.ke) by siafu.iconnect.co.ke with esmtp (Exim 2.12 #1) id 11OcMa-0005aU-00; Wed, 8 Sep 1999 10:41:54 +0300 Message-ID: <37D612CA.FC0D5C2@iconnect.co.ke> Date: Wed, 08 Sep 1999 10:39:54 +0300 From: Ernest Rukangira Reply-To: erukangira@iconnect.co.ke X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: "consbio@u.washington.edu" , indknow@u.washington.edu Subject: conference announcement Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT = Medicinal Plants , Traditional Medicines and Local Communities in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities of the next Millenium Dates: 16-19 May, 2000; Place: Nairobi, Kenya; in parallel to the COP-5 of the CBD We are pleased to inform interested parties that the Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI) in collaboration with other organizations is planning to organize a four-day international conference on the promotion and development of medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa on 16-19 May 2000 in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference will be composed of a combination of presentations and workshops. The conference will be organized in parallel to the Fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP -5) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 15-26 May 2000. = = CONFERENCE SCOPE AND AIMS Information relating to medicinal plants and traditional medicine can be found in documents and databases aimed at readers in a wide range of disciplines including botany, ecology, chemistry, medicine, veterinary science, etc. However there are few publications reporting current work or reviewing and analyzing recent advances in knowledge or in highlighting local experiences, challenges, constraints and opportunities in traditional medicine uses and in conservation and sustainable use and management of medicinal plants. In Africa and elsewhere, most publications related to medicinal plants and traditional medicine available have been produced on academic research work and on the conceptual foundations of African traditional medicine and its relationship with other medical systems. Access to these publications by the public, decision makers and local communities is still very limited because of their academic writing style and their unavailability. = At the global level the Convention on Biological Diversity, an international treaty that has been signed by more than 160 member states of the United Nations provides an international legal framework for the conservation of biological diversity including access to and exchange of genetic materials and for bio-diversity prospecting. Many different approaches are being tried around the world to find ways to minimize, reduce and/or stop the loss of biodiversity, especially in the earth's biologically rich areas such as African tropical regions. Attaining the main goal of reducing habitat loss with its accompanying loss of biocultural diversity is still unfortunately some way off. The World Health Organization estimated that 80% of the population of developing countries rely on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs for their primary health care needs. Also, modern pharmacopoeia still contain at least 25% drugs derived from plants and many others which are synthetic analogues built on prototype compounds isolated from plants. = Demand for medicinal plants is increasing in both developing and developed countries and surprisingly, the bulk of the material traded is still from wild harvested sources on forest lands, as and only a very small number of species are cultivated. At the same time, the World Health Organization (WHO) has earmarked the year 2000 as the year which all should have access to health, a laudable goal which is still far from being achieved. Herbal medicines and traditional healers are receiving attention from mainstream health officials and international medical research and training institutions as governments confront the high cost and inefficiencies of official health programmes aimed at populations. The increasing cost of modern drugs coupled with the decline in the purchasing power of the African people caused by the weakening of the African currencies and the limited national resources make it mandatory that efforts should be intensified to produce drugs from plants in Africa. A number of international organizations now have started to support projects and programmes within Africa which are drawing on the cultural acceptability and economic accessibility of safe and effective traditional medical practices. On the other hand, in many African countries, there are no unified and coherent programmes to promote medicinal plants, traditional medicine and ethnopharmacology, nor to assure that biological resources are being harvested at a sustainable level. Several small isolated activities are being undertaken on individual basis without any institutional support and coordination at the national or regional levels. This situation often leads, to duplication of efforts or inefficient use of limited available resources. There are still gaps in knowledge of how traditional knowledge systems of health work, their limitations and prospects. Successful experiences and approaches on conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants are still rare. With regard to research aspects pertaining to medicinal plants, traditional medicine and local communities; a number of questions are still unanswered: Which traditional remedies work, which have been tested and how? How should traditional medicine knowledge, practices and preparations be validated at the community level, using what methods and facilities? How should traditional medicines be standardized at local and traditional healer levels, using what methods and facilities? Under which conditions does traditional medicine work best? Who uses it and under which conditions? To what extent do local communities accept traditional medicine practices? What has been done to promote mutual understanding and professional respect between western doctors and traditional doctors? Which aspects of traditional medicine can be combined with western style medicine and how? Have all major medicinal plants been identified and documented? What has been lost? What is remaining? Are traditional knowledge systems relating to sustainable use and conservation of medicinal plants clearly understood? Are gender issues properly taken into consideration? How can traditional methods be incorporated in research agenda? How should local and traditional knowledge contribute to propagation and to sustainable use and conservation of medicinal plants? What are African cultural practices and beliefs that are supportive of the conservation and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants? What effective agro-ecological methods that enhance propagation and cultivation of specific medicinal plants? Many African countries lag behind the rest of the world in the development of national policies with respect to access to genetic resources and trade in medicinal plants. As a consequence, a considerable degree of mistrust and suspicion is bound to flourish between producers and potential markets. If medicinal plants are to receive a proper valuation on the national or world market, policies need to be in place to guide such transactions. Appropriate targeted strategies aimed at increasing awareness of policy makers and donors about the need for sustainable use and conservation medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa, can complement research efforts aimed to achieve this objective . It is within this context that the Conference will be organized at the same time with the COP-V of the CBD. The conference will review current initiatives in promoting the development of medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa. It will establish a state of art by highlighting what has been done, what is to be done, what should be reinforced and under what incentives, what works and what does not work. Examples of policy, research, legislation, success-stories will be highlighted to show national efforts in promoting medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa and in sustainable use and conservation. = The conference will examine how medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa is far more relevant, valid and useful that had been supposed. It will highlight experiences of many stakeholders: traditional healers, NGOs, researchers and conservationists. This will be a unique forum for exchange of local information on medicinal plants and traditional medicine and their potential. The Conference will explore medicinal plants, traditional medicine and its organization. It will contribute to the exchange of information on the subject by reporting both on the work of individuals, institutions and also on the community experiences. Drawing on experiences from many African communities, it will highlight the vital role of medicinal plants in public health care and the urgently needed strategies and actions to promote the sector. In addition the dissemination of current activities and research findings will ensure that future phytomedicinal research and extension efforts can build on previous work carried out in Africa. Donors and international organizations involved or supporting the sector in Africa will be invited to attend the conference. While the conference will focus on African region participants from other continents will be also invited. Objectives of the Conference : = =B7 To assess the current situation/status of the sector and to = disseminate information on the current activities, experiences and the diverse but fragmented research initiatives and findings relating to medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa . =B7 To identify the key challenges, experiences, opportunities and perspectives involved in promoting medicinal plants and traditional = medicine in Africa, and the practical lessons that can be learnt from = the recent history of R&D in the sector: = =B7 To contribute to the knowledge base of medicinal plants and traditional medicine =B7 To provide interested parties with updated information as well as project and action-oriented recommendations on a systematic and integrated approach towards developing a medicinal plant-based cooperation in Africa and ensuring sustainable and environmentally friendly growth of the sub-sector = CONFERENCE THEMES The following issues may be addressed by the conference: 1. Medicinal Plants and traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia = in Africa: significance and trends The place and contribution of traditional medicine in primary health care 2. The global context(Bioprospecting, IPR, CBD ,etc) and its = implication on promotion of the sector 3. Aspects of participatory research into medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa with involvement of local communities: (ethnobotanical investigations, production of drugs from African = medicinal plants, chemical, biological and pharmacological studies) Past and current research activities that have been or are being carried out to solve local communities' health problems; gaps between the finality of = current research with regard to public health concerns and local communities needs and priorities. 5.Sustainable use and conservation of medicinal plants in Africa : =B7 The contribution of forests in community health care (e.g. linkages= between = forestry and health, destruction of forest and its impacts and consequences = to the health of people, various ways in which the health of people is affected = through the destruction of forests, etc.) =B7 Propagation and domestication of medicinal plants in Africa (e.g successful experiences at the village level), overharvesting and controlled harvesting, resource management =B7 Protection of traditional knowledge and practices relating to the use= s of medicinal plants and traditional medicines (e.g. suggestions on appropriate mechanisms, debate on intellectual property rights taking into consideration the African context, etc.) =B7 Economic and policy incentives and legal tools for the conservation and sustainable use(e.g. encouraging private sector, researchers and local communities) =B7 Biodiversity prospecting, international trade and traditional resourc= e rights for indigenous peoples and local communities, benefit sharing and access to medicinal genetic resources. 6.Commercialisation and economic value of medicinal plants at the community level: (Overview of the traded medicinal plants sector and its potential for community development.) =B7 The economics and prospects of small scale derived drug industry in Africa (status of medicinal plants production, marketing, markets and value-added processing); =B7 Strategies to enhance income generation and benefit sharing from medicinal plants and traditional medicine. 7. Financial mechanisms, information strategies and tools, regional = and international co-operation: Funding opportunities, what tools, mechanisms and strategies are practical and = effective to enhance information exchange, co-operation and collaboration aimed = to develop the sector. 8.COUNTRY EXPERIENCES: = Current status of medicinal plants and traditional medicine at the national = Level; e.g.: example of most common medicinal plants and their uses. Who is doing what at = the national level e.g. activities and institutional framework, = co-ordinating and implementing agencies, support of R&D, role of NGOs and traditional healers = associations and of public and private sector, what actions and strategies to = promote traditional medicine and medicinal plants, efforts to integrate traditional = medicine in official public health systems: advantages, disadvantages, implications, obstacles , policy options and key players. Importance of traditional medicine in the country. 9.Lessons learnt and new perspectives: Importance and future of medicinal plants and traditional medicine in Africa(future research and action needed and the policy challenges which have to be confronted; overview of the causes of the problem identified, and of previous approaches to dealing with it). a) Limitations and potentials b) Future directions - Research priorities - Technology transfer and capacity building - Planning & Development - Policy options - Information exchange and management - Co-operative strategies and mechanismes GENERAL INFORMATION: Conference Methodology: Presentations will last twenty minutes each, with a further 15 minutes for discussion. They should be accessible largely in either English or French. Working sessions will consist of paper and poster presentations and discussion. Participants are welcome to organize special workshops = or open discussion groups on a specific topic. Please contact the organizers if you intend to organize a session. Official languages of the conference: English and French ABSTRACT SUBMISSION: = To submit abstracts, to register or for inquiries, please contact: Dr. Barbara Gemmill = - by E-mail ( < Barbara Gemmill > herren@ africaonline.co.ke ) = - by Fax (254-2562175) = -by regular mail ( Environment Liaison Center International, P.O.Box 72461, Nairobi, Kenya) . = Or Ernest Rukangira Environment Liaison Centre International, P.O.Box 72461, Nairobi, = Kenya email: erukangira@ iconnect.co.ke Tel. (254-2)562022/576114 Fax: 572175 = Abstracts should not exceed 500 words. They can be submitted in one of two ways: hard copy or electronic submission. They should be in English or French. Hard copies (or faxes) submission: Please include the following information: NAME : Names of the author(s) TITLE: Title of the paper EMAIL: Email address of the first author, if any ADDR: Postal address of the first author TEL: Telephone number of the first author, if any FAX: Fax number of the first author, if any The name of the first author will be used in all correspondence. Electronic submission: Electronic submission should be in plain ascii text email message giving the following details: NAME : Name of first author TITLE: Title of the paper EMAIL: E-mail address of the first author ADDR: Postal address of the first author TEL: Telephone number of the first author, if any FAX: Fax number of the first author IMPORTANT DATES: Abstract submission deadline: 30 January 2000 Notification of Committee's decision: 20 February 2000 Authors submit camera-ready text: 20 Mars, 2000 Conference: 16-19 May 2000 PRE-REGISTRATION FORM: Mr./Ms/Dr/Prof.: (First name): (Family name): Organization: = Street: P.O. Box: = City: Country: = Phone: Fax: = (country code - area code - number) = E-mail: = PLEASE RETURN before 30 January 1999 BY FAX or EMAIL to addresses above Payment: = (1) Mail a cheque (made out to "Environment Liaison Centre International") in U.S. or Kenya Shillings or (2) Mail, fax or e-mail credit card information, noting the total amount, whether Visa or Master card, cardholder name, card number, and expiry date, plus your signature if paying by mail or fax. = Before 30 January 30,2000:US$150 / After 30 January, 2000: US$250 = The Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI) is located in Nairobi, Kenya, and was established in 1974 with the aim of strengthening communication and cooperation between NGOs and local communities, providing liaison between NGOs and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), helping to strengthen NGO and local community capacities in developing countries and encouraging the advisory role of NGOs through the organs of the United Nations. ELCI is an international non-governmental organisation which brings together 900 NGOs in more that 100 countries. -- = Ernest Rukangira Programme co-ordinator NGO Working Group on indigenous knowledge and biodiversity = Medicinal Plants and Local Communities Programme E.L.C.I.,P.o. Box 72461 ,Nairobi ( KENYA ) Fax (2542)562175 ,Tel 576114/25/. erukangira@iconnect.co.ke .