Abstract
Since its creation in 1993 the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) has developed important declarations in the field of bioethics shaping the worldwide debate with a focus on goals that are important for all UNESCO Member States. The IBC members are independent experts representing different regions, professions as well as different cultures of the currently 195 UNESCO member states. The UNESCO declarations do not constitute legal sources by themselves and consequently are not legally binding, but exercise an important influence on bioethical debates. However, the more specific the topic and the “newer” the topic in the biomedical research area, the more probable will be its adoption in other international or national documents.
As the bioethical debate in the United States and Europe is historically strong, the influence of the IBC and its documents should be examined in a different way compared to other regions. However, with respect to Europe, one has to distinguish between the various geographical definitions of Europe: the European Union, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. An important influence of the IBC in Europe comes from the activities of European members of the committee in academia and the various national ethical bodies.
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Druml, C. (2016). The UNESCO International Bioethics Committee and the Network of Ethical Advisory Bodies in Europe: An Interactive Relationship. In: Bagheri, A., Moreno, J., Semplici, S. (eds) Global Bioethics: The Impact of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee. Advancing Global Bioethics, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22650-7_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22650-7_12
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