Ruth L. Okediji, the Jeremiah Smith, Jr., Professor of Law and Co-Director of Harvard's Berkman Klein Center on Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, recently served as the lead expert negotiator for a historic negotiation at the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization. The result of more than a decade of negotiations is a ground-breaking intellectual property treaty that recognizes the contributions of Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLC's) in the global innovation system.

What ethical, economic, and cultural factors affect how we steward humanity's capacity for creativity? The default utilitarian approach that underpins intellectual property law has historically excluded non-traditional forms and practices of innovation. These concerns operate in parallel with other complex tensions, including indigenous rights, biodiversity, sovereignty over genetic resources, ecological sustainability, and climate change more broadly.

Okediji draws personal inspiration from her Christian faith in tackling these challenges, and her story illustrates how faith convictions – and the worldview it promotes - can shape and interact with policy and legal frameworks in advancing human flourishing.