Develop networking to facilitate regional-1-

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE WORKSHOP

TOPIC 1

1.1       PROPER IDENTIFICATION, DOCUMENTATION OF MEDICINAL

PLANTS

1.2       Sustainable conservation and use of biodiversity

 (medicinal plants)

Monitoring and assessment of wild population and

marketed plants

Recommendations:

·      Community gardens

·      Initiate media programmes for awareness

·      Collection of genetic resources

·      Policy formation

1.3

·      Use community based participatory research method  to identify existing (threatened) cultural practices that promote sustainable use, management and conservation of medicinal plants.

Recommendation:

                       

·         To undertake participatory/studies in this regard.

·         Promote and enforce equitable sharing of benefits arising from the exploitation of local knowledge.

·         Implementation of articles 8(j).

Recommendation:

·      Undertake research on policy issues related to article 8(j) of CBD in order to make it applicable within the African context.

-2-

1.5

·      To promote better cooperation and collaboration between the two systems.

1.6       Perceptions and Attitudes:

·   Mutual recognition and clear consciousness of both medical

          systems so that they can operate in equal relationship.

TOPIC 2

PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH AND INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNTIES AND TRADITIONAL HEALERS

2.1       PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH APPROACHES FOR

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

·      Develop and implement participatory research methodologies (PRM)

            Recommendation:

·      Organize training sessions in participatory research, methodologies for all stakeholders.

2.3       VALIDATION (LABORATORY) OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE/ MEDICAL

PREPARATIONS AND PRACTICES

·      To develop acceptable methods to validate traditional medicine.

·      Collection and documentation of methods for validation of traditional medicinal practices.

RECOMMENDATION:

To collect,document and implement methods of validation of traditional medicine practices and products.

-3-

2.4       PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF WRITTEN NATIONAL

PHARMACOPEA OF MEDICINAL PLANTS THROUGH INVOLVEMENT

OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS

·      To establish a broadly accessible pharmacopoeia to assist all those concerned with medicinal plants.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

·      Establish a coordinating body/ “steering committee

·      Establish a multidisciplinary research team

·      Evaluate the OAU pharmacopoeia ‘s relevance/adequacy for the country (e.g. in terms of species coverage; coverage of the major applications of the various plants)

·      Identify and collate key sources of other relevant information (databases; other pharmacopoeia)

·      Conene key actors involved: through a national workshop/meeting

·      to identify key areas for research

·      to agree on and implement the national work plan

·      to set up regional groups.

2.5       BIOPIRACY, BIO-DIVERSITY PROSPECTING & CONSERVATION IN

THE DISTRIBUTION OF BENEFITS FROM TRADITIONAL MEDICINES

RECOMMENDATIONS:

·      To establish equitable terms of trade pertaining to medicinal plants.

·      Develop benefit sharing models.

·       Increasing value-addition production of phytomedicines at local and regional levels.

TOPIC 3

3.1       STANDARDIZATION

Development of Standardization procedures that are adaptable to the

situation(s) at community level to address the issues of efficacy, safety

and quality of phytomedicines.  In this respect, to also include capacity

building amongst African research institutions.

-4-

3.2       RECOMMENDATIONS:

·      To monitor/regulate and organise market forces for sustainable conservation through recognition and support of traditional medicinal plant trade.

3.3       Collate and harmonize legislation pertaining to Biodiversity use and

related indigenous knowledge systems.

TOPIC 4

4.1       To facilitate organizational management of traditional medicine health

 care systems.

4.3       Initiate networking, training and information exchange and disseminate in

order to achieve complementarity between the two systems. and international

cooperation in medicinal plants, traditional medicine and

pharmacopoeia research and development and to link up with

other medicinal plant programmes in other region (eg. TRAMIL

etc.).

2.         All research programmes in traditional medicine and medicinal

plants should have a gender component.

3.         As a follow up to the workshop convene a regional meeting in order

to sensitize interested donors and other international organizations

to the plan of action in view of possible support and to examine

closely policy issues in this area.