Event: 16th Session of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO

March 5, 2009

At the kind invitation of the Government of Mexico, the sixteenth (ordinary) session of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (IBC) will be held in Mexico City, from 4 to 6 May 2009. 

Created in 1993, IBC is a body of 36 independent experts – appointed by the Director-General of UNESCO in their personal capacity – that follows progress in the life sciences and its applications in order to ensure respect for human dignity and freedom.

Two main topics will be discussed during these meetings:  the principle of social responsibility and health as set forth in the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2005) and the issue of human cloning and international governance.  IBC will finalize its work on these two topics and will hold a preliminary reflection on its future work programme.  Taking place in Latin America, this session will also be the occasion to devote an entire day to bioethics in Latin America.

The sessions are open to the public.

There is no registration fee.  However, as is customary, the travel and living expenses of observers will be borne by them or by the Organization they represent.

If you wish to participate in these meetings as an observer, please go to the following website:www.unesco.org/bioethics and fill out the registration form which should be returned, duly completed, to the IBC Secretariat (by surface mail: Division of the Ethics of Science and Technology, 1 rue Miollis – 75015 Paris; or by fax: + 33 1 45 68 55 15; or by e-mail: [email protected]), before 25 April 2009.

Further information and working documents are available on the above-mentioned website and upon request from: 

IBC Secretariat
Division of Ethics of Science and Technology
UNESCO
1, rue Miollis
75732 Paris Cedex 15 – France
Telephone: + 33 1 45 68 39 39 /38 03
Fax: + 33 1 45 68 55 15
E-mail: [email protected]