Successful Models on achieving the Millennium Development Goals in South East Asia
Indigenous Knowledge and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
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Transcript of Indigenous Knowledge and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
Nicolas Gorjestani, World Bank
Indigenous Knowledge and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
Indigenous Knowledge -- Learning from Local Communities
Global Distance Learning CourseMarch 28 – April 1, 2005
Colombo Dar es Salaam
Delhi Kampala
Nicolas GorjestaniSenior AdvisorAfrica Region
World Bank
Nicolas Gorjestani, World Bank
Overview
Knowledge and Learning Context IK and Millennium Development Goals The Challenges Ahead
Nicolas Gorjestani, World Bank
Knowledge is
experience---
everything else is
information
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Knowledge is not the exclusive domain of rich countries, nor of
the rich in poor countries
Local Global
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Indigenous Knowledge Course Objectives
Goal: Provide the participants practical tools and approaches to
help incorporate IK into development policies and programs; Promote South-South collaboration and peer-to-peer learning
among IK practitioners Approach:
Address the development challenges through the unique perspective of Indigenous Knowledge (IK)
Demonstrate the potential role of IK in helping achieve the Millennium Development Goals
Focus on success stories in using IK to help increase food security & agricultural productivity, reduce maternal mortality, and treat opportunistic diseases associated with HIV/AIDS
Nicolas Gorjestani, World Bank
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
The 2000 United Nations Millennium Declaration formulates eight goals to be achieved by the year 2015
The goals cover the areas of poverty, hunger, education, gender, health, and environment
The MDGs place human development at the center of social and economic progress, and emphasize the value of global partnerships for development.
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What is Indigenous Knowledge?
Unique to ANYANY community or culture Embedded in community practices and institutions Basis for local decision making pertaining to
food security, human and animal health, education, natural resource management, governance, etc.
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Indigenous Knowledge and the Poor
Indigenous Knowledge is the social capital of the poor Indigenous Knowledge is the basis for their decision making Indigenous Knowledge provides local solutions to
development challenges facing poor communities By building on Indigenous Knowledge and leveraging other
knowledge, poverty can be addressed jointly with the poor
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Why Use IK in the Development Process ?
Most of the poor who live under $1/day depend on traditional medicine;
About ¾ of Africans do not have access to modern health services and have to rely on traditional medicine;
There is a strong business case for utilizing traditional healing approaches to reach the poor and help them live healthier lives;
Development programs need to build on such local knowledge systems;
Upgrading the capabilities of traditional healers and birth attendants could help them to more effectively contribute to providing healthcare needs of the poor.
For Example, in Health:
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Health
Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other Diseases (MDG 6) Case Study from Tanzania: Tanga AIDS Working
Group combats HIV/AIDS using traditional medicines
Reduce Maternal Mortality (MDG 5) Case Study from Uganda: Public health services
and traditional birth attendants collaborate to help reduce maternal mortality by 50% over three years
Day 2
Indigenous Knowledge Could Help to Achieve the MDGs:
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Poverty Reduction and The Environment Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (MDG 1)
Case Study from India: Farmers reclaim sodic lands and increase production
Ensure environmental sustainability (MDG 7) Case Study from Sri Lanka: Conservation of
medicinal plants and documentation of their medicinal value produces income for communities while at the same time conserving the environment
Day 3
Indigenous Knowledge Could Help to Achieve the MDGs:
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Education, Gender, and Infant Mortality
Achieve Universal Primary Education (MDG 2) West Africa: School curricula incorporate indigenous
knowledge and use local languages Promote Gender Equity (MDG 3)
Senegal: Women and traditional village authorities partner to abolish female circumcision
Reduce Infant Mortality (MDG 4) Ethiopia: Infants receive traditional medicine and child
rearing practices to treat common infant diseases
Indigenous Knowledge Could Help to Achieve the MDGs:
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Partnerships Develop Global Partnerships for Development (MDG 8)
East African and South Asian practitioners learn jointly about IK practices and promote IK in early childhood development, conservation of medicinal plants and benefit sharing
Researchers, traditional healers and policy makers join to validate medicinal practices for safety and efficacy
Day 4
Indigenous Knowledge Could Help to Achieve the MDGs:
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Enriching the Development Process --An Action Plan: Scale up successful IK practices Enhance the capacity of local communities to develop,
share and apply their indigenous knowledge systems Develop innovative tools for the validation and
protection of indigenous knowledge Design a results framework for monitoring indigenous
knowledge and measuring its impact Establish an innovation fund to promote successful
indigenous knowledge practices Organize a global indigenous knowledge conference to
galvanize the support of the development partners for the above agenda
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Challenge: Help Incorporate IK in Development
Raise awareness at local and national level
Help communities to document, share and develop IK
Mainstream IK into your “operational activities”
Promote creation of conducive policy environments for application of IK
Adapt development solutions to the local context
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Farmers
Hunters
Healers
Indigenous Knowledge for Development Program