© UNESCO
COMEST

After its 8th Ordinary Session, which will be the first to be held in Eastern Europe, on 27-29 May 2013, the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), in conjunction with the Slovak National Commission for UNESCO, is organizing a conference on Emerging Ethical Issues in Science and Technology.

On the basis of the past work of COMEST and its partners, the conference will reflect on state-of-the-art issues in science and technology, from nanotechnology to information ethics. It will not only discuss ethical and social challenges in the field, but will also examine how new technologies can contribute to sustainable development.

Participants include COMEST members, experts from UNESCO, International Hydrological Programme (IHP) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and local experts.

Sessions of the conference will be:

1) Nanotechnology for development;
2) Nanotechnology applications in water;
3) Nanotechnologies and converging technologies;
4) Ethics of the information society;
5) Scientific responsibility.

The conference is expected to fine-tune the themes and produce field-based and action-oriented policy recommendations.