Strengthening capacity of the National Bioethics Commitee in Malawi

When :

from Monday 22 May, 2017
09:00
to Saturday 27 May, 2017
15:55

Type of event :

Category 7-Seminar and Workshop

Where :

Capital Hotel, Lilongwe, Malawi

Contact :

Charaf Ahmimed, c.ahmimed@unesco.org

The second training of the National Bioethics Committee in Malawi will take place in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 22 to 26 May 2017. This training will focus on spearheading the development, review and assessment of national policies, procedures, guidelines, regulations and standards within the research and development enterprise pertaining to bioethics. It aims at fostering debate, public awareness, engagement and consciousness in matters of bioethics at national level.

Malawi, as a UNESCO Member State, established the National Committee on Bioethics (NACOB) through the National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST). This was due to Government of Malawi’s realisation of the letter and spirit of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights as adopted by the 33rd session of the General Conference of UNESCO.

The training will attempt to undertake critical reviews of public policies with a view to make sound bioethics related recommendations that promote common good and/or human rights.

It will provide an introduction into the fundamental principles of bioethics and their application in various circumstances and practices.

After the training, participants should be able to identify ethical issues in problems addressed by national bioethics committees. They should be able to provide rational justification for ethical analysis, advice and recommendations, and be able to apply the ethical principles of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, thus strengthening the basis and relevance of the work of the committee.

This initiative is being organized by UNESCO and the National Bioethics Committee of Malawi. It will be facilitated by Prof Joseph Mfutso-Bengo, Chair of NACOB, and Dr Bert Gordijn, Professor and Director of the Institute of Ethics at Dublin City University in Ireland, together with other facilitators.

In light of its legal mandate, NACOB has several needs related to the execution of its TORs. This training of members and secretariat in bioethics will equip them with requisite information, knowledge and skills to enable members and secretariat discharge NACOB duties as expected by law and as required under the letter and spirit of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. The specific modular topics to be covered are based on the adopted UNESCO Core curriculum.