유네스코 ‘생명윤리와 인권보편선언’의 권고사항과 국내 실천을 위한 제언

Abstract

In October 2005, the General Conference of UNESCO adopted by acclamation the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. Member States committed themselves and the international community to respect and apply the fundamental principles of bioethics set forth within a single text. Universal Declaration addresses ethical issues related medicine, life science and associated technologies as applied to human beings, taking into account their social, legal and environmental dimensions. Together with the Declaration, the General Conference of UNSCO adopted a resolution which calls upon Member States to make any effort to take appropriate steps to ensure the follow-up to the Declaration. Last year some serious accidents in relation to bioethics and research ethics occurred in Korea. We should consider new approaches to social responsibility to ensure that progress in science and technology contributes to secure human dignity and human rights. Also we should take all appropriate measures, whether of a legislative, administrative or other character, to give effect to the principles set out in this Universal Declaration. First of all, we should recognize that the ethical issues raised by the rapid advances in science and their technological applications should be examined with the respect to the human dignity and human rights. And then, we should promote professionalism, honesty and integrity and transparency in ethical decision making in particular declarations of all conflicts of interest and appropriate sharing of knowledge. Persons and professionals concerned and society as whole should be engaged in informed pluralistic public debate. Secondly, independent and multidisciplinary ethics committees should be established in order to provide advice and appropriate assesment on ethical problems. In advancing scientific research and medical practice, the benefits to research participants and patients should be maximized and any possible harm to such individuals should be minimized. The ethical committees should functionally fulfill its tasks. Thirdly, we should endeavor to foster bioethics education and training and encourage information dissemination programmes about bioethics. In particular young people are provided the useful and vivid understanding of the ethical implications in relation to science, environment and human life. Also, researchers and research assistant are provided the better bioethics education and training in order to promote integrity in scientific and biomedical research. We should monitor institutional investigations of research misconduct and facilitates the responsible conduct of research through educational, preventive, and regulatory activities.