The work of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO on the situation of refugees

The 10th Ordinary Session of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) and the 24th Ordinary Session of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) took place on September 12th and 13th in Paris.

At this event, the Committee was able to present its draft report on the bioethical response to the situation of refugees. This draft has been the subject of many comments and questions from IBC members, but also from observer States and non-governmental organizations present at the session.

This report presents the different ethical stakes of the current refugee situation, as well as recommendations for the States. Among them, the IBC states the need for the training of health personnel on the concepts of ethics and bioethics, as well as the need to guarantee the populations’ welfare: access to health care, housing, fight against discrimination, etc. The latter would also be facilitated by access to education and vocational training for refugees.

IFCU pays particular attention to this draft report, in particular in view of the Conference “Migrants and Refugees in a Globalized World: Responsibility and Responses of Universities”, held in Rome in November.

© Image: Inès Pons-Teixeira