Dr. Soontharee Namliwal, Senior Policy Specialist of NXPO International Policy Partnership Division, recently represented Thailand at the public meetings of the 31st Ordinary Session of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC), the Joint Session of the IBC and Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC), and the 13th Extraordinary Session of the World Commission of the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST). The meetings took place on 16-17 September 2024, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
These meetings aimed to gather feedback and recommendations on concept notes, with completion targeted for 2025, and to develop an ethical framework for science and technology, based on human rights protection, human dignity, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
The agenda featured presentations and discussions on progress in bioethics and the ethical use of scientific and technological knowledge. Four concept notes were introduced: 1) COMEST Concept Note on the Ethics of Quantum Computing, 2) IBC Concept Note on the Ethical Issues related to the Acceleration of the Development of Synthetic Biology, 3) IBC Concept Note on Digital Media and Mental Well-Being among Children and Adolescents: An Ethics and Human Rights Perspective, and 4) COMEST Concept Note on Ethical Considerations on Space Exploration and Exploitation. Discussions also explored strategies to promote and fully utilize the final reports.
Thailand’s participation provided several benefits: 1) showcasing the country’s active role within UNESCO, 2) enhancing access to research data, knowledge, and global trends essential to policy work, and 3) raising Thailand’s visibility in international forums on science, technology, ethics, and society, fostering further collaboration with UNESCO.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with a mandate on ethical issues related to science, technology, and the environment, as well as policy initiatives on S&T ethics that impact human well-being, society, and the environment.
For more information on the public meetings: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/31st-ordinary-session-ibc/joint-session-ibc-and-igbc/13th-extraordinary-session-comest
