From globe to ground women, HIV & AIDS and Papue New Guinea

This thesis explored the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Papua New Guinea with a focus on women. The research drew upon principles of health promotion in shaping an analysis of models of prevention and technical support. The findings demonstrate the role of globalization, poverty, gender inequality and technical assistance in shaping vulnerability to HIV in Papua New Guinea.

Invasive plants – Do they devastate or diversify rural livelihoods? Rural farmers' perception of three invasive plants in Nepal

In this paper, we examine how rural people in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park in Nepal perceive the effects of accidently transported invasive plant species, such as Mikania micrantha, Lantana camara and Chromolaena odorata, on their livelihoods. We found that their perception of the impact of each species on their livelihood varies with factors such as the duration of the presence of invasive plants in the landscape, and household characteristics. Results of a household survey indicate that farm households close to the forests have responded to the invasive species both as a victim and a beneficiary. Farm households are likely to adapt to the invaded environment as they have a history of interacting with invasive plants and can commoditise them through appropriate intervention. Additionally, the findings indicate that rural people are willing to invest in the control and management of invasive plants if appropriate technical assistance is available. Without assistance, they consider mitigating the infestation an unattainable mission and consider acceptance of the invasive species as a part of the rural ecosystem an inevitable outcome.

Plant variety protection and traditional agricultural knowledge in Southeast Asia

This article provides an overview of the emerging plant variety protection (PVP) systems in Southeast Asia. The case studies are from countries that form part of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), mainly Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. The focus will be on the intersection between intellectual property rights (IPRs) and popular demands for the protection of the traditional knowledge (TK) of local communities. Factors that fuelled the emergence and shaped the content of the PVP laws were the obligation to comply with art 27(3)(b) of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), aspirations for the development of the biotechnology industry, avoidance of possible sanction under the US ‘Special 301’ procedure, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), the role played by the International Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV), technical assistance from UPOV member countries, membership of international biodiversity treaties and demands from civil society organisations for protection of TK. The PVP laws that resulted present an uneasy amalgam of conventional property rights with some aspects of protection of TK. It is very likely that the local communities claiming TK rights will face legal hurdles, in as much as government agencies implementing the law will face administrative and technical complications.

Regulatory impact assessment: the forgotten agenda in ODA

Although Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) has attracted significant attention from OECD, the EU, and governments in developed and developing countries, little is known about its application within the domain of foreign aid. To clarify this claim: There is extensive evidence in the public sphere that countries that are donors of Official Development Assistance (ODA) are using RIA as a tool for improving their regulatory framework within a context of their development assistance. There is evidence that Multi Lateral Development Banks (MDB) provide technical assistance (TA) to recipient governments for the development and application of RIA systems and structures (see ADB 2010, 2012).