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Man with mask

At the kind invitation of the Government of the Republic of Korea, the 20th (Ordinary) Session of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (IBC) will be held in Seoul from 19 to 21 June 2013. This session is co-hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea, organized in cooperation with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and Yonsei University, and sponsored by the Korea National Institute for Bioethics Policy and Asiana Airlines.

The 20th Session will be devoted to the following topics:

1. The IBC Draft Report on the principle of non-discrimination and non-stigmatization, as set forth in Article 11 of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights; the Committee will continue its work on the draft report, in accordance with its work programme for 2012-2013.

2. 20th Anniversary of the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (IBC) and the UNESCO Bioethics Programme.

3. Bioethics in Asia and the Pacific: Experiences, perspectives and new ethical challenges.

4. Bioethics in the post-2015 international sustainable development agenda.

The Committee will also be considering its work programme for 2014-2015 and elect a new Bureau for the coming two years during this Session.

The International Bioethics Committee (IBC) is a body of 36 independent experts that follows progress in the life sciences and its applications in order to ensure respect for human dignity and freedom.