Summary:
- The training, which targeted the Batwa community, local leaders, and key stakeholders, was designed to equip participants with the skills to draft community protocols and contractual clauses aimed at protecting indigenous knowledge.
KISORO: In a groundbreaking development, over 200 plants are currently undergoing rigorous experimental trials to confirm their medicinal benefits, revealed Dr. Francis Omujal, a senior researcher at the Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institute, Ministry of Health.
Dr. Omujal shared this exciting news on Thursday December 19, 2024, during the closing ceremony of the Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing (ABS) training at Mubano Hotel in Kisoro Municipality.
The training, which targeted the Batwa community, local leaders, and key stakeholders, was designed to equip participants with the skills to draft community protocols and contractual clauses aimed at protecting indigenous knowledge.
Dr. Omujal explained that many of the herbs under study were introduced by the Batwa and other communities with deep-rooted knowledge of these plants.
“We are collaborating closely with the United Organization for Batwa Development Uganda (UOBDU) to identify and engage these communities, ensuring their invaluable knowledge is recognized and preserved,” he said.
Highlighting the significance of scientific validation, Dr. Omujal emphasized that providing evidence of these plants’ medicinal properties could pave the way for their commercialization.
“Our research is focused on herbs that could potentially treat a wide array of diseases,” he continued, revealing that trials are investigating treatments for over 100 ailments, ranging from cough syrup and wound care to remedies for worms, diarrhea, and dysentery.
However, Dr. Omujal also issued a strong warning: these medicinal plants are rapidly depleting and could face extinction before their full potential is unlocked.
“We must act now to protect these plants and preserve our natural heritage,” he urged.
Achuu Simon Peter, Project Coordinator for the ABS Project, shed light on the capacity-building initiative, which is funded by the Global Environment Facility through the United Nations Environment Program.
“This project, active in the Kigezi and Karamoja sub-regions, seeks to conserve Uganda’s genetic resources while promoting the sustainable sharing of traditional knowledge,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure equitable benefits for the communities involved.”
The four-year project, which began in 2023, focuses on raising awareness and strengthening the capacity of local communities to harness the economic and cultural value of their indigenous knowledge of genetic resources.
Justice Dr. Christine Echookir of the Family Court in Kampala also provided guidance to participants, helping them understand how to establish agreements with entities interested in accessing their genetic resources, in accordance with the Nagoya Protocol a global agreement regulating the use of biological diversity.
Zaninka Peninah, UOBDU’s coordinator, called on the Batwa and other communities to share information about their genetic resources and safeguard their knowledge.
“Awareness is key,” she said. “We must make sure the world understands the immense value of these resources.”
The project is set to run for four years, with a total budget of US$ 11.8 million, supported by a US$ 2.6 million grant from the GEF Trust Fund and a co-financing contribution of US$ 7.1 million.
Participants from the Batwa community expressed their gratitude for the training, which they described as eye-opening.
“We now truly understand the potential of our indigenous knowledge about plants,” one participant said. “This training has shown us the importance of protecting and sharing it for the benefit of future generations.”
