Workshop on Biodiversity, Traditional Knowledge, Health and Well-Being

Purpose: To provide a platform for dialogue and knowledge sharing among stakeholders, particularly Indigenous Peoples, but also traditional health practitioners and policy makers, with the aim of providing input for the first WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine.

Context: The value of biodiversity and traditional knowledge extends beyond health. It is intricately linked to biodiversity and natural resource management, as indigenous communities have often developed a deep understanding of their natural surroundings, the medicinal properties of various plants and of components of biodiversity that also support food security, livelihoods, nutrition, biocultural diversity and other dimensions of health and well-being. Preserving traditional knowledge is essential for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and to meeting the global commitments made under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Topics: With a focus on the sustainable management and use of biodiversity in a changing climate, this global workshop contributes to the identification and exchange of initiatives, best practices and legislative frameworks for the sustainable management and use of biodiversity to support and boost health and well-being. Around this central axis, other explored topics are: food security and nutrition, One Health, sustainable livelihoods, adaptation to climate change, indigenous rights and land ownership, and strengthening access to health care in underserved communities through better integration of traditional medicines.