From second left to right: Dr. Suerie Moon, James Love, Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota, Peter Harrison, Margo A Bagley
©WHO
Bringing together experts from international organizations, academia, governments and civil society, WHO-KEI (Knowledge Ecology International) co-organized an event on the sidelines of 53rd Inter Government Consultations (IGC) at World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on 22 September 2026. It explored how intellectual property, access and benefit-sharing and data governance frameworks can support innovation in traditional medicine while safeguarding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
At the side event, Intellectual Property and Traditional Medicine: Rethinking Access, Benefit Sharing and Data Governance, speakers examined the implications of digitalization, artificial intelligence and evolving international policy frameworks for traditional medicine knowledge.
Dr Suerie Moon, Co-Director, Global Health Centre, Graduate Institute, moderated the expert panel. She lauded the organizers for convening this event on a "very timely topic" dealing with the "rapid change in technologies, as well as the normative and legal landscape".
Opening the discussion, Manjeet Singh Saluja of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre highlighted the need to advance traditional medicine that is safe, effective and evidence-informed while protecting traditional medicine knowledge, recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and safeguarding biodiversity. He outlined WHO initiatives, including an intellectual property toolkit for traditional medicine and a framework for respectful knowledge exchange with Indigenous Peoples.
Panelists emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies are creating new opportunities for research and innovation while also raising questions about attribution, ownership, consent and equitable benefit-sharing. Margo A. Bagley of Emory University noted that AI could accelerate drug discovery based on traditional medicine knowledge but may also make it more difficult to trace contributions made by knowledge holders. James Love, Director of KEI presented findings from two draft WHO papers on the legal and IP considerations for traditional medicine databases, including the challenge of protecting community rights across jurisdictions. He proposed federated data governance and tailored benefit-sharing arrangements to support trusted evidence generation and equitable remuneration.
Reflecting on the recently adopted WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota, Ambassador of Brazil to the World Trade Organization (WTO), described the agreement as a major step toward greater transparency and recognition of Indigenous Peoples and local communities within the international intellectual property system. He stressed the importance of securing ratifications and effective implementation.
Speakers also discussed governance models for traditional medicine databases, the role of prior informed consent and approaches to equitable benefit-sharing. Throughout the discussion, participants underscored that Indigenous Peoples and local communities should be recognized not merely as sources of knowledge, but as partners in its stewardship and governance.
Closing the event, Manjeet Singh Saluja emphasized that responsible governance should respect community rights and authority, preserve attribution and provenance, support equitable benefit-sharing, and ensure responsible and traceable data governance. The moderator, Dr Moon, thanked WHO and KEI for flagging the complexity of the ecosystem of IP and traditional medical knowledge while advancing "concrete proposals".
