ANME demands the recognition of Traditional Medicine/CAM as an „Intangible Cultural Heritage-ICH”

Human evolution is not conceivable without cultural achievements. This cultural legacy is so far expressed by art, fashion, music, healing arts or the skill of cooking. Likewise the not yet tangible knowledge about plants, spiritual practices, dances and ritual correlations does belong to it as the so-called “Intangible Cultural Heritage“. Traditional medicine has its own cultural roots which are in parts thousands of years old and continue still intensely in all continents of this planet. According to the statutes of ANME all category of natural medicine has to be considered as traditional cultural heritage and which is property of mankind. Therefore is it utterly required to protect this inheritance in future as faithfully as possible for all European citizens and active CAM-practitioners in Europe.

This means:

1. A separate article has to be stipulated regarding ICH in the EU Health Program:
   “Today and in future each patient in Europe and each member state has the right to claim traditional/CAM methods in its original context as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.”
2. Furthermore has to be stipulated another separate article which incorporate the application of ICH in the regulations of active CAM-professionals “Practitioners of traditional/CAM methods Europe are the keepers of this Intangible Cultural Heritage and have the freedom to apply this legacy today and in future.”

Schoeneck, 19th of February, 2009

This is established by:

1.   NATIONAL AGENCY FOR THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

Research project by UNESCO Austria in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Health (2006 - 2010) according to the UNESCO Conventions of in 2003 and 2005

Project „Safeguarding Traditional Remedies“

In view of the EU-DIRECTIVE 2001/83/EC, Austrian law experienced an amendment to that effect that simplified admitted remedies should be unilaterally deleted without substitution from April 2011.

In spite of a new EU-DIRECTIVE in 2004 which provided again a facilitated registra­tion, the hurdles in the area of manufacturing procedure, standardisation and de­mands for product-stability had become so high, that many remedies and drugs used in traditional/CAM-medicine well be unable to overcome them.

The Austrian National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage has been involved within the scope of the UNESCO convention to the preservation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage regarding traditionally used remedies which run the risk by legal regulations not to sustain or achieve the status of a registered and admitted remedy from 2011. In particular for the purposes of a quality assurance the traditional reme­dies should be preserved from disappearing into a twilight-zone of dietary supple­ments.

For this reason, a working group was established to develop quality criteria by means of monographs for the Austrian pharmacopoeia which already has taken up her ac­tivity in cooperation with university institutes and experts.

Project „Collecting complementary and traditional healing methods in Austria”

by Mrs. Mag. Michaela Noseck

CAM-treatments are becoming increasingly popular.The WHO reports in Traditional Medicine Strategy in 2002-2005 about a growing use of CAM-methods in industrial­ized countries. Due to the big number of “Energetiker” and the existence of CAM-of­fers in the medias, an increase of CAM-treatments is assumed as well in Austria.

Traditional remedial knowledge includes a big potential for public health care. The preservation and use of this information could add a lot of benefit to public health. The promotion of security, effectiveness and quality of CAM-methods and remedies should be a required condition. Dissemination and access to this knowledge ought be made easier.

That's why on the part of The National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage a research project was initiated which is promoted by the Federal Ministry of Health, Family and Youth as well as by a private assurance. Within the scope of the project it is foremost to clarify what can be considered as a Traditional Healing Knowledge in Austria. Subsequently one has to pursue the question in which areas of life and re­lated specific problems, traditional/CAM knowledge can be relevant for modern citi­zens. Another main focus of the project might be the clearing up of compatibility be­tween CAM- and biomedical methods.

The exact description of the particular CAM-therapies belongs also to the specific aims of this project. The methods are assigned to categories, in order to get a sys­tematic overview.

Furthermore criteria concerning seriousness and security will be developed for the sake of create the requirements for later evaluations.

Additionally, an archive will be established for the documented findings of Tradi­tional/CAM-meth­ods. Knowledge is made available to the public by publications and by means of an own homepage which will be released. The target groups are on the one hand the patients in order to facilitate their possibilities in de­cision-making, and on the other hand the doctors who acquire information on addi­tional treatments of their patients.

2. UNESCO - CONVENTION FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

The general Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization hereinafter referred to as UNESCO, meeting in Paris, from 29th of September to 17 October in 2003, at its 32nd session.

Article 17 – cunning of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

1. With a view to taking appropriate safeguarding measures, the Committee shall establish, keep up to date and publish a cunning of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and shall inscribe search heritage on the cunning at the request of the State party concerned.
2. The Committee shall draw up and submit to the general Assembly for approval the criteria for the establishment, updating and publication of this cunning.
3. In cases of extreme urgency – the objective criteria of which shall be approved by the general Assembly upon the proposal of the Committee – the Committee may in¬scribe in item of the heritage concerned on the cunning mentioned in paragraph 1, in consultation with the State party concerned.

Article 18 – programme, projects and activities for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage

1. On the basis of proposals submitted by States parties, and in accordance with criteria to be defined by the Committee and approved by the general Assembly, the Committee shall periodically select and nationwide promotes, sub on the regional level and on the regional level programmes, projects and activities for the safeguarding of the heritage which it considers best of all reflect the principles and objectives of this Convention, taking into account the special needs of developing countries.
2. To this, it shall receive, examine and approve requests for internationally assis­tance from States parties for the preparation of look proposals.
3. The Committee shall accompany the implementation of look projects, programmes and activities by disseminating best of all practices using means to be determined by it.

3. WHO - Beijing Declaration

Adopted by the WHO Congress on Traditional Medicine, Beijing, China, 8th of No­vember, 2008:

IV. Traditional medicine should be further developed based on research and innova­tion in line with the "Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innova­tion and intellectual property" adopted at the Sixty ridge World Health Assembly in resolution WHA61.21 in 2008. Governments, internationally organisations and other stakeholders should collaborate in implementing the worldwide strategy and flat of action.

SIXTY RIDGE WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY WHA61.21

Agenda item 11.6 24 May in 2008

"Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual prop­erty"

Espec.: Art.2.1, 2.2 and 3. + annex: 4.; 7.; 8. and 10:

The Universally Declaration of Humanly Rights provides that "everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits" and that "everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author".