By Michael Baggot
UNESCO Chair Director Alberto Garcia participated in international conference “Emerging Technologies and Human Rights” on May 4-5, 2015. The event was organized under the auspices of the Belgian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.
Garcia’s presence corresponds to the Chair’s interest in the bioethical implications of nanotechnological advances. For instance, technological developments allow neurosurgeons to diagnosis and treat symptoms of Parkinson disease. While the medical benefits of such procedures are laudable, the methods used raise important questions regarding the permissibility of intrusive techniques with the potential of psychological alternation. Further questions arise regarding the decree to which such technologies could affect free will, the rights to information gathered through such procedures, and the need to craft new biomedical legislation capable of addressing rapid chances.
Studies by the Rathenau Instituut and the Center for the Study of Sciences and Humanities of the Bergen University in Norway were the chief documents used to guide discussion. A schedule of the event is found below.
OPENING SESSION
– Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe
– Representative of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
– M. Dirk van Eeckhout, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belgium to the Council of Europe
9.30 – 11.00 SESSION 1 – INTRODUCTION
Chair: Dr Anne Forus, Chair of the Preparatory Group for the Conference
Reminder about objectives and approach of the Conference
Dr Anne Forus, Chair of the Preparatory Group for the Conference
Driving force for developments
Prof. Andy Stirling (United Kingdom), Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex
Presentation of the background studies
o From Bio to NBIC convergence – From Medical Practice to Daily Life
Dr Rinie van Est and Dr Dirk Stemerding (Netherlands), Rathenau Instituut
o Report on ethical issues raised by emerging sciences and technologies
Prof. Roger Strand and Prof. Matthias Kaiser (Norway), Center for the Study of Sciences and Humanities, Bergen University
Questions and clarification
11.00 – 11.30 BREAK
11.30 – 13.00 SESSION 2 – TECHNOLOGY, INTERVENTION AND CONTROL OF INDIVIDUALS (Rapporteur: Dr Michael Fuchs, Germany)
Chairs: Prof. …
Prof. …
Introductory presentation: what is at stake?
Prof. …
Ethical and societal perspectives
Prof. Jean-Noël Missa (Belgium), Co-director of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Bioethics, Université libre de Bruxelles, member of the Belgium National Consultative Committee of Bioethics
Human rights challenges
Prof. Dominique Thouvenin (France), Chair “Health Law and Ethics” Research Center “Law, Science and Technology,” Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne
Discussion
13.00 – 14.30 LUNCH BREAK
14.30 – 16.30 SESSION 3 – DATA COLLECTING AND PROCESSING – NEW DIMENSIONS
(Rapporteur: Mr Hugh Whittall, United Kingdom ; Mr Gérard Lommel, Bureau of T-PD)
Chairs: Prof. Damir Marjanović (Bosnia and Herzegovina), University of Sarajevo
Prof. Mariachiara Tallacchini (Italy), Università Cattolica SC
Introductory presentation: what is at stake?
Dr Péter Kimpián (Hungary), Head of International Affairs and Public Relations Department, Hungarian Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Ethical and societal perspectives
Prof. Dr. Peter Dabrock (Germany), Chair of Systematic Theology (Ethics) at the Department of Theology, University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE)
Human rights challenges
Prof. Yann Joly (Canada), Research Director, Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University, Montreal
Discussion
16.00 – 16.30 BREAK
16.30 – 18.00 SESSION 4 – EQUITY OF ACCESS (Rapporteur: Prof. Laura Palazzani, Italy)
Chairs: Ms Liliane Maury Pasquier (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe), Chair of the Sub-Committee on Public Health of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
Prof. Pavel Tishchenko (Russian Federation), Russian Academy of sciences
Introductory presentation: what is at stake?
Prof. Jan Helge Solbakk (Norway) Institute of Health and Society, Centre for Medical Ethics, Faculty of medicine, Oslo
Ethical and societal perspectives
Prof. Stefano Semplici, Chair of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO
Human rights challenges
Prof. Yolanda Maria Gomez Sanchez (Spain), Professor of Constitutional Law National University for distance learning, Madrid
Discussion
18.00 End of Day 1
5 MAY 2015
9.00 – 10.30 SESSION 5 – GOVERNANCE (Rapporteur: Dr André Gazsó, Institute of Technology Assessment, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria)
Chairs: Prof. Stefano Semplici, Chair of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO
Prof. Beatrice Ioan, Vice Chair of DH-BIO
Introductory presentation:
Prof. Sheila Jasanoff (USA), Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University
Are existing governance systems challenged by emerging technologies and their convergence?
Prof. Herman Nys (Belgium), Director of the Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Leuven University, Member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies
How and who can respond: priority actions and possible models?
Prof. Sheila Jasanoff (USA) and Prof. Herman Nys (Belgium)
Discussion
10.30 – 11.30 ROUND TABLE: Priority human rights challenges arising from emerging technologies
Participants: Prof. Dr. Peter Dabrock (Germany), Prof. Yolanda Maria Gomez Sanchez (Spain), Prof. Sheila Jasanoff (USA), Prof. Yann Joly (Canada), Prof. Matthias Kaiser (Norway), Dr Péter Kimpián (Hungary), Prof. Jean-Noël Missa (Belgium), Prof. Herman Nys (Belgium), Prof. Stefano Semplici (Unesco), Prof. Jan Helge Solbakk (Norway), Dr Dirk Stemerding (Netherlands), Prof. Roger Strand (Norway), Prof. Dominique Thouvenin (France), Dr Rinie van Est (Netherlands)
Moderator: Dr Doris Wolfslehner (Austria), member of the DH-BIO Bureau
11-30 – 12.00 BREAK
12.00 – 13.00 SESSION 6 – CONCLUSIONS
Chairs: Dr Mark Bale, Chair of DH-BIO
Ms Brigitte Konz (Luxembourg), Vice-Chair of the CDDH
Joint presentation by the rapporteurs of the sessions
CLOSING
– M. Jean-Yves Le Déaut (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe), General Rapporteur on science and technology impact assessment of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
– Dr Mark Bale, Chair of the DH-BIO
13.00 End of the conference