19 June 2012
Topic: Human Security in ASEAN: Intellectual Property and Protection of Indigenous People's Knowledge in ASEAN
Speaker: Prof. Robin Ramcharan
Date: Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Time: 19.00 hrs.
Venue: Room 101, Building 1, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University. The easiest way to get there is to walk from Chamchuree Square MRT station.
Speaker: Prof. Robin Ramcharan
Date: Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Time: 19.00 hrs.
Venue: Room 101, Building 1, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University. The easiest way to get there is to walk from Chamchuree Square MRT station.
Paper Abstract
A more ‘people-centered’ governance, nationally and regionally, must be inclusive of the aspirations of indigenous peoples of the ASEAN region. Historically they, as with indigenous peoples around the world, have been among the most vulnerable minorities and have been discriminated against. Moreover, they have for a long time been written out of the mainstream nation-building narratives. This paper seeks to contribute to redressing this imbalance by highlighting the struggle of indigenous peoples to claim their rightful place in the mainstream of nation-building and national economic and social development. The protection of their indigenous knowledge has been a major avenue through which this has been pursued.
The paper examines the struggle of the indigenous peoples through the prism of human security, which it is the duty of the state to provide for. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) affects human security insofar as it impacts upon the rights to food, to health, to education and to development. In an era of heightened intellectual property protection globally, concerns have been raised regarding the preservation of indigenous peoples’ ways of life, culture and their traditional knowledge, all of which are so intimately linked to the environment. ASEAN states have been actively engaged in the discussions on the protection of the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples. This paper will examine the state of the protection of indigenous peoples’ knowledge within ASEAN. It will draw upon ASEAN State’s positions within negotiations on the conclusion of an international treaty on the protection of traditional knowledge at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) over the last decade. It will also examine the state of protection of indigenous peoples within ASEAN countries and the regional Association. It will also draw upon discussions on intellectual property within the APEC.
The author has conducted research on ASEAN international politics, security and human rights over the past two decades. This topic builds also on his professional experience at the Worldwide Academy of the World Intellectual Property experience. He has published on intellectual property issues and on indigenous peoples’ issues. He has written more generally about human rights issues in Southeast Asia. His most recent manuscript on intellectual property rights and security is under review with Oxford University Press.
Brief Bio of Professor Robin Ramcharan
Dr. Ramcharan holds a Ph.D in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (GIIDS), University of Geneva, as well as an MA in International Relations from the GIIDS. He also completed an MA in International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science, a BA (Hons.) in History from Queen's University. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London and is completing an LL.M in International Law.
A native of Guyana, South America, he has studied and lived in France, Guyana, India, Singapore, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He has traveled widely throughout South and Southeast Asia for research purposes. He was a Visiting Researcher at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and a Visiting Associate and Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore. He was also Visiting Researcher at the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS), Canberra, Australia.
He teaches in the College of Law and International Affairs, Alliance University, Bangalore, India. His areas of teaching and research include Southeast Asian politics and regional security. He lectures on international relations (theory and practice), international organizations, international conflict and conflict prevention, international intellectual property, and human rights. He worked for six years in the Worldwide Academy of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, in the area of cooperation for development. He also undertook research and policy writing at WIPO.
He has published two books: Forging A Singaporean Statehood 1965-1995(Kluwer, 2002) and The National Security of Guyana: A Study in Foreign Policy (Edwin Mellen press, 2009). He has published articles on conflict prevention and regional cooperation in Southeast Asia, including “ASEAN and Non-interference: A Principle Maintained,” Contemporary Southeast Asia V. 22, no. 1, April 2000, which was reproduced in the Second ASEAN Reader (Singapore: ISEAS, 2003). A recent article discussed “ASEAN’s Human Rights Commission: Policy Considerations For Enhancing Its Capacity To Protect Human Rights,” in UCL Human Rights Review, vol. 3, 2010. A book chapter examined, “ASEAN’s Problematic Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and The New Media’s Role in Enhancing the Protection of Human Rights,” in New Media and Human Rights in Southeast Asia, Edited by Mike Hayes, James Gomez (Routledge, November 30th 2012). He has written on intellectual property issues: "Singapore's Emerging Knowledge Economy: Role of Intellectual Property and its Possible Implications for Singaporean Society," Journal of World Intellectual Property, Vol. 9, No.3, pp.316-343; "The Protection of Copyright and Related Rights in Africa: Challenges to Protection in the Internet Age," African Yearbook of International Law, Vol. 10, 2000, pp.225-266; "Intellectual Property and Security: A Preliminary Exploration," Contemporary Security Studies, Vol.26, No.1, April 2005 , pages 126 - 159, and "Protecting Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Medicines of Indigenous Peoples Through Intellectual Property Rights: Issues, Challenges, Strategies," International Journal on Group and Minority Rights, V. 12, 1-24, 2005.
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