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Quick Link to this page: www.unesco.org/shs/bioethics
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| Bioethics |
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| Stem cell research, genetic testing, cloning: progress in the life sciences is giving human beings new power to improve our health and control the development processes of all living species. Concerns about the social, cultural, legal and ethical implications of such progress have led to one of the most significant debates of the past century. A new word has been coined to encompass these concerns: bioethics. |
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International Bioethics Committee (IBC):Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC):
European Commission-UNESCO Conference: Joint Action for Capacity-building in Bioethics (JACOB), Mexico City, Mexico, postponed to a later date
Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights
The General Conference, at its 33rd session, adopted by acclamation the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, on 19 October 2005.
Brochure of the Declaration
English | Español | Français | Русский | العربية | 中文
Also available in Hebrew | Português | Norsk
(available upon request from the Division of Ethics of Science and Technology)
> Text of the Declaration
English | Français | Español | العربية | 中文 | Русский
> More ...
More about Bioethics
Since the 1970s, UNESCO's involvement in the field of bioethics has reflected the international dimensions of this debate. Founded on the belief that there can be no peace without the intellectual and moral solidarity of humankind, UNESCO tries to involve all countries in this international and transcultural discussion.
The UNESCO Bioethics Programme was created in 1993. Bioethics belongs to ethics of science and technology, one of the five principal priorities of UNESCO. The first major success of the Bioethics Programme occurred in 1997, when the General Conference adopted the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, the only international instrument in the field of bioethics, which was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1998.
UNESCO's ethical watch mandate justifies itself day by day and is becoming increasingly necessary in light of recent scientific developments and their far-reaching implications for society. With its standard-setting work and unique multicultural and multidisciplinary intellectual forums, the Programme has confirmed UNESCO’s leading role in bioethics at the international level.
The Bioethics Programme is part of UNESCO’s Division of the Ethics of Science and Technology in the Social and Human Sciences Sector. It is primarily responsible for the Secretariat of two advisory bodies: the International Bioethics Committee (IBC), composed of 36 independent experts, and the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC), composed of representatives of 36 Member States. These Committees cooperate to produce advice, recommendations and proposals that each submits to the Director-General for consideration by UNESCO’s governing bodies.
The Programme develops four main action areas:
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03-07-2009 (SHS e-News 40 / July 2009) - Three important meetings on Human Rights and Bioethics will be held during this month. From the “Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation” meeting, 7-8 July in Paris (France), and the “Right to Enjoy the Benefits of Scientific Progress and its Applications”, 16-17 July in Venice (Italy), to the “Meeting of the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee”, 9-10 July in Paris (France).
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28-04-2009 (UNESCO) - Following its postponement due to the A(H1N1) influenza epidemic in Mexico City, the sixteenth (ordinary) session of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) will be held in Mexico City during the second part of November 2009 (most probably in the week from 23 to 27).
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05-12-2008 () - The Report of UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee (IBC) has just been published as the first issue of a new series. The latter intends to effectively and broadly disseminate IBC’s reflection and deliberations on specific principles of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2005). Thus, it aims to foster reflection and facilitate action of stakeholders concerned.
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Quick Link to this page: www.unesco.org/shs/bioethics
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