The WSF, scheduled to be held in Nairobi from 20 - 25 January will be an important occassion for hunter gatherer communities to meet and share experiences with other similarly placed communities from around the world. Among the activities they will undertake include a cultural exhibition which will feature artefacts and traditional dances by the Yiaku peoples, a press conference and joint side events with the Global Forest Coalition and Indigenous Information Netwoks.

20 hunter gatherer participants from the Ogiek, Sengwer, Yiaku, Awer, Elmolo, and Ilk communities will be attending the WSF.

Activities

Watch out for a <>Yiaku Cultural Dance on 23rd January Kasarani. The dance will feature a traditional Yiaku marriage ceremony and will be presented by the only peopel who know it best....the Yiaku.

Besides the dance, hunter gatherer communities will also display their artefacts in a tent at the same venue.

There will also be speakers from different hunter gatherer communities discuusing issues most dear to them.


For more on the WGlobal Forest Coalition, the Indigenous Information Network and the Pacific Indigenous Peoples Environmental Coalition at the upcoming World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya (20 - 25 January):

21 January, morning session:
Environmental Justice or Environmental Markets

1: Selling Our Genes and Knowledge

A participatory strategy meeting on the potential impacts of the sale of genetic resources and traditional knowledge through so-called access and
benefit contracts

The (tentative) program is as follows:

Facilitator: Lucy Mulenkei, Indigenous Information Network, and Indigenous Women's Network on Biodiversity, Kenya

Other speakers include:
- Anneta Bok, San People, on the Hoodia biopiracy case in South Africa.*
- Sandy Gauntlett, Pacific Indigenous Peoples Environment Coalition, on the ABS and 8j negotiations and IIFB positions
- Chee Yoke Ling or other representative of Third World Network on WTO TRIPs negotiations
- Kanyinke Sena, Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee, on the WIPO negotiations and the Kenyan draft policy on traditional knowledge
- Patrick Mulvany of ITDC (UK) on the results of the NGO strategy meeting on the FAO Seed treaty of last October
- Representative of Via Campesina on grassroots initiatives to protect seeds as a patrimony of humanity
All presentations no longer than 10 minutes followed by debate. If possible we split up for 45 minutes parallel working groups. The total session is 3 hours

We are also organizing a workshop on the impacts of biofuels on the afternoon of the 21st, and two strategy meetings we would really like you to participate in:
- a strategy meeting on forest-related negotiations under the climate regime
on the 22nd, from 18:30 - 20:30 pm in a venue to be announced (probably the space where the FoEI workshops on trade and natural resources will be held, as we are co-hosting these workshops).
- a strategy meeting on CBD COP9 on the 23rd, from 18:30 - 20:30, same venue

22nd January 2007

Regaining Control of Natural Resources , Side event orgainised by the Friends of the Earth International. Kanyinke Sena will be presenting a paper on the Effects of commodification of natural resources in relation to the Ogiek of Narok.
For More on the WSF, please visit www.wsf2007.org