Briefing Paper

Towards Influencing National Legislation, Policies, Strategies and Programmes for Appropriate Protection and Benefit-Sharing of Traditional Knowledge (TK) with Traditional Herbalists in Uganda

“Today, the importance of Traditional Knowledge (TK) in Uganda cannot be overemphasized given the country’s widespread cultural wealth in knowledge, creativity and innovation. To-date however, there are no established laws, policies or programmes in Uganda, to
give a firm and clear guidance in the utilization, appropriate protection and benefit-sharing of Traditional knowledge pertaining to the work of traditional herbal medicine (THM) in the
country. This policy brief therefore, highlights the findings of the IK research project – Uganda and how they seek to enable Ugandan traditional herbalists to better access and benefit from TK opportunities and resources through appropriate protection, promotion and benefit sharing, in collaboration with key stakeholders i.e. policy-makers and users of traditional medicine, among others.”