Tag Archives: DST IKS standards accreditation

DST IKS Accreditation Workshop

On 24 June, Djims Milius attended, for the Intellectual Property Law & Policy Research Unit, a Department of Science and Technology (DST)-organised training workshop on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Accreditation for practitioners of traditional knowledge in South Africa.  The workshop was held in Midrand/Johannesburg and showcased all relevant stakeholders of IKS, and presentations were made by traditional leaders, researchers and government officials working to formalise the foundational elements of an effective, reliable IKS accreditation system which has been proposed for development since 2006.  As a representative of the UCT IP Unit, Djims was asked to act as rapporteur for the “legal issues” break-away workshop group in that meeting.  Various lessons were learned suggesting ways in which the system of acrreditation for IKS in SA currently in place could be standardised accross health, agriculture and various other sectors of indigenous traditional practice.