INDIGENOUS WOMEN'S ART DESIGNS

Craig Benjamin is a Canadian journalist and human rights activist with an interest in intellectual property issues. He writes regularly on genetic patenting and biotechnology for the magazine "Native Americas." Over the last five years he has also worked as a consultant with indigenous peoples' organizations at conferences on intellectual property and biodiversity in South Meso-America and South-East Asia. He is the Major Campaigns Coordinator for Amnesty International in Canada and he is also currently working with the Peace in Nagaland Campaign, an international initiative in support of Indigenous peoples in the India-Burma border region

Jean Christie is a Canadian who has worked in non-governmental solidarity organizations since the 1970s. She has worked in Papua New Guinea and Fiji as a CUSO cooperant. She has taken part in an innovative program of popular education called the People’s Food Commission and campaigned against hunger. She also served as the Executive Director of Inter Pares. Since 1991, her work concerning biodiversity, biotechnology, indigenous knowledge and intellectual property has been based with RAFI - the Rural Advancement Foundation International. She has worked principally in the regions of the South Pacific, the English Caribbean, Central America and Australia.

Violet Ford is from Makkovik, Labrador and has a law degree from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and also the Northwest Territories Law Society. Violet has worked in the area of environmental law and policy and has participated in many international fora such as the UN Working Group on the Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Violet is presently employed by the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada as a policy advisor. Violet’s interests are in the area of traditional knowledge, intellectual property rights and in dispute resolution mechanisms that indigenous people could consider when advocating their positions at various political fora.

Sonia Henriquez is an Indigenous Kuna from Panama. She has been active in grassroots organizations for the past ten years. Currently, she is the national coordinator of the Kuna women's organization, OLOWAILI, and a member of the national coordination of indigenous women of Panama, CONAMUIP. CONAMUIP, which forms part of the Commission on Craft Commercialization and Intellectual Property, and has actively participated in the organization of this workshop. Sonia Henriquez, together with Love Saint-Fleur, conducted research on the situation of the Mola in Panama.

Eva Adams Klassen is an Inuit from Canada. Her previous work has been with art training projects with Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association. Specifically, she worked on projects involving the commercialization of Inuit clothing with Inuit women.

Helen Lom is an attorney and a national of the United States of America. She works at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and is currently Director-Advisor in the Office of the Deputy Director General responsible for Global Protection systems and Services. Ms. Lom also serves as " gender focal point, " for WIPO. Before joining WIPO, she was a member of the New York and Colorado State Bars, and practiced law with a major international corporate law firm in New York (1976 to 1979). She also taught comparative law in and pursued social-legal research at the Institute Brasileiro de Administraçâo Municipal Pontificia and the Universidade Católica in Brazil as well as at the Universidad de Costa Rica in Costa Rica. She is fluent in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Czech.

Atencio López is an Indigenous Kuna and lawyer from Panama. He currently works with NAPGUANA, an organization that offers legal advice/counselling and participates in development projects in Kuna territory. NAPGUANA supports an artist’s group and has experience in training artists. Mr. López has participated extensively in international fora concerning the rights of indigenous peoples. He has been an active participant in discussions concerning the protection of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge within regional, national and international spheres. Additionally, he has published various articles on these themes.

Graciela Magan Gutierrez is a sociologist from Peru. She has conducted research within Andean communities and is particularly interested in development projects, on health, gender and commercialization. Ms. Magan Gutierrez is an advisor to the Regional Andean Committee of Women Cooperatives of the International Alliance of cooperatives. Currently, she is the coordinator of OXFAM Fair Trade (England) for South America.

Annie Oehlerich is an anthropologist, and currently lives in Bolivia and works with IBIS, Denmark. Since 1995, she has worked for CIDOB, the Central Indígena del Oriente Boliviano, helping leaders defend traditional knowledge and intellectual rights. IBIS is financed by DANIDA and supports the Indigenous movement in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia as well as Africa. The primary goal is the institutional strengthening of Indigenous organizations.

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