Indonesia Urges Global Rules to Protect Traditional Culture, Upholding Community Rights

Indonesia is advocating for international rules that prevent the exploitation of traditional cultural knowledge and expressions by ignoring the rights of their original communities. The nation emphasized that community consent, recognition, and fair benefit sharing must be integral to any protection system. This position was articulated by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon during the 53rd Session of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC on GR-TKF) in Geneva, Switzerland. The forum, held from September 16-25, 2026, brought together 93 countries, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and indigenous peoples' groups to discuss the protection of traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, and genetic resources. Minister Fadli stressed that for Indonesia, intellectual property is inseparable from culture. He stated that traditional cultural knowledge and expressions embody the identity, history, knowledge, and collective memory passed down through generations. "Traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions are not just intellectual property. In them there is the identity, knowledge, history, and collective memory of the community," he remarked. Therefore, he argued, the documentation and adaptation of knowledge or cultural expressions should not immediately sever the relationship with the original community or render them free for use without considering community rights. Indonesia is encouraging an international framework that provides clarity regarding approval, attribution or recognition of communities of origin, use, and fair benefit sharing. Stronger protection is also deemed necessary for knowledge and cultural expressions that are sacred, secret, or limited. This stance holds strategic significance for Indonesia, a nation boasting 1,340 ethnic groups and 718 regional languages. The government has designated 2,727 Indonesian Intangible Cultural Heritage items as of the end of 2025. Minister Fadli referred to culture as "living heritage," asserting that culture endures because it is continuously practiced, inherited, developed, and given meaning by society. Consequently, international protection systems should maintain the connection between a cultural expression and its originating community. In the WIPO negotiations, Indonesia highlighted four key aspects: protection must aim for cultural sustainability, prevention of abuse, community empowerment, and fair benefit sharing. Adaptation or documentation should not automatically negate the relationship with the original community, and indigenous peoples and local communities must be the primary beneficiaries. Furthermore, Indonesia introduced the economic dimension, asserting that the economic value derived from traditional knowledge and cultural expressions must respect their origin, moral rights, and the interests of the communities that safeguard them. "When traditional knowledge and cultural expressions generate economic value, the communities that maintain and pass them on must receive fair recognition and benefits," Fadli stated. Indonesia affirmed its readiness to continue its involvement in WIPO negotiations and share its national experiences in documentation, protection, utilization, and intergenerational cultural inheritance.