University of Hawaii BUILDING BRIDGES WITH TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE An International Summit Meeting on Issues involving Indigenous Peoples, Conservation, Sustainable Development and Ethnoscience With this letter, I am pleased to invite you to participate in the conference, Building Bridges with Traditional Knowledge, which will be held from May 28 to June 3, 2001 in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 1200 persons - representing universities, business, governments, conservation organizations, and indigenous peoples - will convene in Hawaii to share their perspectives and develop new, collaborative relationships. Already more than 600 people from 59 countries have registered to attend. For additional details on the conference, please refer to the web page, Building Bridges with Traditional Knowledge (http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/traditionalknowledge/). Overview Building Bridges with Traditional Knowledge will bring together representatives from universities, governments, foundations, businesses, conservation organizations, and indigenous peoples from around the world. Sponsored by the University of Hawaii, Society for Economic Botany, and the International Society for Ethnopharmacology with financial support from several organizations, the conference is designed to: - Explore approaches to economic development within a framework of environmental and cultural conservation; - Encourage and facilitate dialogue among groups who have or use traditional knowledge and those who are involved in research, conservation and development; - Facilitate the development of new business based on traditional knowledge; and, - Develop and disseminate recommendations about conservation priorities, intellectual property rights, education and other issues related to economic development. Conference Format and Speakers To provide the maximum opportunity for participants to learn from each other, presentations will be offered in a variety of formats and topics. - Mornings are devoted primarily to concurrent sessions organized by themes. These include; Business Development; Traditional Knowledge in "Modern" and "Sustainable" Societies; Issues in Hawaiian Culture; Ethnopharmacology and Traditional Medicine; Agriculture; Education; Politics and Knowledge; and, Economic Botany and Ethnobotany Research. - Working groups will also be held in the mornings and will address several critical issues with the goal of developing specific recommendations. The focus of these sessions will be Intellectual Property Rights, Indigenous Perspectives on Ethnobiological Research; Higher Education; Ethics; and Conservation Priorities from Traditional Perspectives. - Afternoon Plenary Sessions will focus on specific geographical/cultural regions with each afternoon devoted to a specific region. Sessions will feature indigenous leaders, scientists, and traditional knowledge experts expressing their experiences with and aspirations for traditional knowledge. - Each evening of the summit, major global leaders will address themes related to the roles of traditional knowledge in politics, the global community, education, conservation, cultural identity, and the future. Each will draw from their own experiences and those of their cultures. Opportunities to Participate Attend the Conference: We would be honored to have you attend the conference and participate with the other attendees in exploring positive solutions to the challenges of conservation and economic development. You can register online directly by going to the link, Registration (http://www.flycapers.com/bbtnconference_travelmain.htm). Make a Presentation: You are invited to make a presentation on any of the Summit Themes. We are especially interested in learning about successful approaches to sustainable development and working with local communities in launching initiatives based on traditional knowledge. You can submit your abstract directly online by going to the link, Abstract Summary (http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/traditionalknowledge/events/sessions/presenta/ p&pcall.htm). Sponsor a Session: The major costs associated with this conference are related to bringing in speakers - especially cultural representatives -- from South America, Africa, Europe and other distant or remote locations. Altogether, more than 100 cultural representatives have been invited from cultures and countries spanning from island states such as Solomon Islands, Samoa, Fiji, Madagascar, Indonesia to continental countries like Tajikistan, Thailand, India and China. Speakers will also be joining the conference from Venezuala, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, Uganda, Nigeria, Germany Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Nepal, Australia and several other countries. Display an Exhibit: Organizational, commercial, and informational exhibit booths are an integral component of the conference. They provide an opportunity for you to share your work with a large audience and they provide the attendees a chance to learn from you. The minimum cost for exhibitor space is $2200, which entitles you to a space that is approximately ten feet by eight feet. The cost for larger space will be determined based on size. If you would like more information about sponsorship opportunities please feel free to contact me directly, by clicking, James O'Brien ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). The conference organizer, Professor Will McClatchey, can be reached directly at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you for your interest. James O'Brien Director, Foundation Relations University of Hawaii Foundation Phone: (808) 956-9743 Fax: (808) 956-5115 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------ ***GKD is an initiative of the Global Knowledge Partnership*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.globalknowledge.org>
