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An International Symposium
BIODIVERSITY & HEALTH
Research to Policy |
Dear Colleague,
I am pleased to
enclose a brochure containing information regarding the
International Symposium on
“Biodiversity and Health: Focusing
Research to Policy”
to be held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,
25-28 October 2003.
The Symposium will illustrate the vital need for ensuring
mutual respect and collaboration between Indigenous Knowledge
systems and scientific investigation, and will call attention to
the importance of taking policy measures to promote the
preservation of biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge. It also
will aim to contribute to policy development in several areas.
International cooperation is needed to develop strategies to
preserve biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge essential for
medicines, to take measures to respect the rights of holders of
knowledge of traditional medicines, and to promote cooperation
between Indigenous Knowledge and western medicine testing for
safety and efficacy of traditional medicines.
The objectives of the Symposium are to provide an overview of
findings and developments related to biodiversity and health, to
review progress and policy initiatives by international agencies
and national governments, and to identify opportunities for policy
and action to foster safe, effective, and sustainable use of
biodiversity for human health.
An international panel of experts has been selected to address
three major themes:
(1) Medicinal Biodiversity
and Conservation;
(2) Research and Commercialization of Medicinal Plants; and
(3) Research to Policy.
Human health is a function of ecosystem health. The
program described in the enclosed brochure recognizes this
dependence and calls attention to biological sources of medicines
and Traditional Knowledge of their applications.
The Symposium will be of interest not only to medical
practitioners, government policy makers, university researchers,
manufacturers and distributors of derivative products but also to
Indigenous Peoples, environmentalists and specialists in
intellectual property rights.
On behalf of the Steering and Organizing Committees I invite you
to attend the symposium. Please register now to help us organize
effectively. Registration information is in the enclosed brochure.
For hotel listing, information about the city of Ottawa, maps,
etc. please visit our website:
http://www.tc-biodiversity.org or
write us at coordinates listed below.
Sincerely,
P.T. Dang, Ph.D.
Steering Committee Chair
Biodiversity and Health Symposium
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