NXPO Vice President Dr. Kanchana Wanichkorn and NXPO Policy Specialist Soontharee Namliwal participated in the Joint Session of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) and the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC) and the 12th Extraordinary Session of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 19-20 September 2022.

The session engaged in the discussion and deliberation on issues concerning ethics and bioethics in science and technology. Four reports jointly prepared by IBC and COMEST were released:  1) Report of the IBC on Ethical Issues of Neurotechnologies, 2) Report of the IBC on the Principle of Protecting Future Generations, 3) Report of COMEST on Ethics of Internet of Things (IoT), and 4) Report of COMEST on Land-Use Ethics. Viewpoints and suggestions were exchanged to improve the following reports: 1) Preliminary Draft Report of the IBC on the Lessons Learnt from the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2) Preliminary Draft Report of the IBC on the Principle of Solidarity and Cooperation, 3) Preliminary Draft Report of COMEST on Science and Society in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and 4) Preliminary Draft Report of COMEST on the Ethics of Climate Engineering.

As a current member of IGBC, effective from 2019 to 2023, Dr. Kanchana gave a statement supporting the Preliminary Draft Report of the IBC on the Principle of Solidarity and Cooperation that the draft report represents a contemporary concept for devising policy for the post-pandemic recovery and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offers insightful perspective on raising awareness of ethics. She further stressed the vital role of open science and innovation in the design and development of international collaboration. Dr. Kanchana also proposed that IBC and UNESCO work with other UN agencies to incorporate ethical aspect into the implementation of international collaboration and initiative, in particular the South-South, North-South and Triangular Cooperations. In addition, she expressed her view that open intellectual property resulting from open innovation inclusive development and public research should not be limited to the national scope but should be allowed to support international collaboration with good governance. And lastly, local entrepreneurship should form part of the sustainable development.