IKAP Network Activities
Since its creation , IKAP as a regional network has consolidated itself. It has provided space for the indigenous communities of MMSEA to exchange and share their experiences that instil pride and confidence, and recreate the image and identity from their own perspectives. IKAP has managed to link the indigenous knowledge (IK) practitioners and established regional inter-ethnic networks who are involved in the capacity building of the local community and in the inter-generational transfer of indigenous knowledge (IK).

Network activities take place on three mutually supportive levels:

1. In-country activities executed by the local networks, such as training and topic events, topic groups and bilateral exchange visits;
2. Regional activities coordinated by the Secretariat such as dissemination of information, concepts and methods about Indigenous Knowledge and community facilitation, training a regional trainer pool and lobbying for IK and indigenous resource rights at a regional level; and
3. International activities including the dissemination of local and national experiences.

There are four core ongoing IKAP activities and a number of activities which we hope to begin soon. The following is a brief outline of the activities and an evaluation to date:

1. Capacity Building: The capacity-building program is one of the core objectives of IKAP’s work. IKAP Network has organized numerous regional training of trainer (TOT) workshops. In addition, IKAP also has conducted specific training sessions, for example, training in IK curriculum design development (Sichuan University, Chengdu, 2006), IK–Training (IK tools and their use, Ratnakiri, 2005), and Facilitation training for indigenous leaders (Chiang Mai, 2004). For the regional TOT, IKAP conducted training for 20 participants (indigenous and non-indigenous persons from NGOs and INGOs working with indigenous communities)- in each sequence. 34 persons have successfully completed the training. Many of them are conducting training within their organizations and with communities, often as part of their work. The reports and other feedback from our partners allow us to say that IKAP’s activities have lead to a considerable increase in the capacity to document and to raise awareness on the importance of indigenous knowledge in the target areas.

There is an increased sharing of IK as well as experiences and skills for its preservation and promotion among indigenous knowledge holders, leaders and CBO/NGO staff.

2. Affirmation of Culture on Biodiversity and Conservation (ACBC): The main purpose of this programme is to strengthen community organizations and ethnic networks on specific topics through the topic networks for the transfer of IK to the young generation. The topic networks meet regularly at the local level. There are three regional topic networks-Rotational Farming, Indigenous Education and Healing and Herbal Medicine which usually meet in connection with conferences and workshops. Local topic networks seem to meet regularly in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and a Burmese Karen refugee camp (although not all of the topic networks). From what has been reported so far, the established networks maintain their membership and some of them are growing. Young people are members of the topic network at the local level, especially those networks on indigenous education, music and dance.
 
3. Networking: Networking is a cross cutting activity in all the IKAP programmes. Social exchange, building of relationships, information sharing, strengthening and consolidation of IKAP network are done through activities such as IKAP’s annual Regional Assembly, meetings of Regional Committee, ACBC topic networks’ regional workshops, regional indigenous conferences, fairs, exchange visits. Constant networking is also maintained by the regional secretariat among network members through email communications via the country coordinators or focal persons.

4. Information Dissemination and Advocacy: During the project period, research by indigenous peoples has been carried out in connection with the publication of the book on rotational farming and for production of resource books on indigenous knowledge, both in Thailand. In Laos, a research project on herbal medicine has been conducted by the local network member organization under the small-grant project. As reported above, the respective activities had concrete outputs in the form of publications, which make the results of the research available to the wider public. We have organized awareness-raising events (two regional fairs), published books and set up a website, but these activities mostly concern dissemination of information and raising awareness. We are aware that they have only limited impact in terms of policy and legal rights advocacy.

IMPACT at the Local and National Level
At the local level, two types of impact can be distinguished.
The impact on communities and their leaders: Several responses pointed out that they noticed an increased enthusiasm among elders and other community members in working together for the preservation and transfer of their traditional knowledgeand conservation of plant varieties
The impact on local organizations and governments: Member organizations reported a general strengthening of the capacity of their staff after IKAP training, and that they use skills acquired in the training in their daily work, for example, in needs assessment for project planning in Laos, or the inclusion of IK in programs with children in Vietnam, or the application of the IK tools and multicultural facilitation skills in local research and analysis in Cambodia.

An important impact of the project has been reported from Sichuan Province, China. There, two members of the IKAP trainer pool (who took part in IKAP’s TOT) have trained the nature reserve staff on the use of IK tools and biodiversity conservation. As a result there is new thinking and a new approach in working with the indigenous communities in these reserves, based more on cooperation with the communities and more respect for their way of life. With the use of visualization skills, there is also better communication and interaction between the staff and the indigenous communities.

Another impact already felt at the national level in Vietnam is the agreement among representatives of the seven Thai language groups for standardization of the script for Thai languages in Vietnam, which are found in seven provinces of that country. In Laos, the local IKAP network members formed the Community Knowledge Support Association, which has been officially recognized and registered as a Non-Profit Association. This is the first indigenous organization officially registered in Laos.

IMPACT at the Regional Level
IKAP has organized and participated in various regional initiatives such as conferences and workshops in which it has been able to put indigenous knowledge on the agenda. IKAP is the only regional organization that has a clear focus on the promotion of IK, and which above all seeks to directly involve local knowledge holders, and thus people from the grassroots with immediate and practical experience. On many occasions leaders of indigenous organizations, supporting NGOs and sympathetic academics have pointed out that this is what makes IKAP different and important for the regional indigenous movement.

Working across borders, while at the same time focusing on leaders at the grassroots and indigenous knowledge holders, has proved to have a strong mobilizing effect on participants. Because of similarities in their ways of life and relations to the natural and social environments the indigenous knowledge experts can easily relate to each other even when not speaking the same language (although, due to the fact that border cut across ethnic groups, they often can communicate directly). This helps create the awareness of being part of a wider “community” – or a movement – with shared visions and goals. This again strengthens local identities, pride and confidence, and provides encouragement in their daily struggles for the preservation of their knowledge and the promotion of alternative forms of development.

The Affirmation of Culture and Bio-diversity Conservation (ACBC)

The Affirmation of Culture and Bio-diversity Conservation (ACBC) project includes Indigenous peoples from Burma, three provinces of SW-China (Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan), Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Thailand (upland areas). It involves the establishment of Topic Working Groups which facilitate networks of exchange, joint research and advocacy surrounding the issues of culture and bio-diversity by protecting, preserving and promoting Indigenous Knowledge. The Topic Working Groups currently in operation are Rotational Farming, Eco-agriculture and Indigenous seeds, Herbal Medicine, Arts and Crafts, Indigenous Youth and Indigenous Education.

Training activities

Regional IKAP Trainer Pool
The goal of the IKAP-network is to establish the Regional Trainer Pool: to train a group of facilitators and trainers who will support the capacity building of ethnic communities to control and use their own resources in a sustainable way, to recover their own traditional knowledge and to reaffirm their own identity and language as part of a strategy of improving their local livelihoods. The participating trainers will become the creative link between the IKAP-network and the local ethnic communities, small ethnic networks and supporting institutions and projects.

1st sequence of TOT

IKAP organised the first sequence of Training-of-Trainers in 2004 and 2005 for 18 potential trainers from 5 country networks. The 1st training ( HTML file, PDF file)events took place in Chiang Mai in May 2004, 2nd training in Lijiang in September 2004 and 3rd training in Luang Prabang in January 2005.

We started with the understanding and exercise of concepts and methods of recovery of Indigenous Knowledge, then applied the practical tools on understanding IK during 2 days organising a market visit and field trips to 4 different ethnic villages, and developed the individual plans to implement the new skills in the institutional and local networking activities.

Most trainees were involved as facilitators of small workshops during the regional events in Chiang Mai (Globalisation Conference) and in Sapa (MMSEA 4). Most of them also have been able to apply their new or improved skills within their own institutions for farmer research, village planning processes, ethnic network organisation. According to an internal evaluation 1/3 of the participants are able to organise training events, 1/3 can join a team of facilitators and trainers, and 1/3 is only able to assist experienced teams.

The IKAP secretariat has created visualisation baskets with local material as well as locally made pin boards for trainers and facilitators at competitive prices, which are in use in the different country networks for different kinds of group events.