UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF BIOETHICS AND HUMAN RIGHTS

1. What is the instrument all about?

It concentrates on areas of particular relevance to developing countries, such as

protection of vulnerable persons and social responsibility. The publication of the UDBHR
confirms the importance of bioethics as a tool to assist in the resolution of ethical conflicts that go
against human rights.

2. Who are the parties/signatories to the instrument?

Kenya and South Africa were chosen as fieldwork destinations because of their
significant involvement in genomics and bioethics at local, national, regional and international
levels. Participants from ethics committees cited a similar assortment of guidelines and
regulations (international, regional and national) as influential, including some from Europe, the

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United Kingdom and Australia.

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3. What article/s or section/s of the instrument articulate the centrality of human rights vis-à-vis

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science, technology, and development?

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First, the Article 3 which is the “Human Dignity and Human Rights” that shows the
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fundamental liberties in all aspects. Including human rights among its principles, the UDBHR
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incorporated human rights issues relating to the social and economic conditions of human life and
health, recognizing the social dimension as intrinsic to bioethics. The interests and welfare of the
individual should have priority over the sole interest of science or society. Next, the Article 4
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which is the “Benefits and Harm” that includes possibly affected individuals. To these two
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groups, any possible damage must be minimized, and benefits must be maximized when it comes
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to advancing scientific knowledge, medical practice and associated technologies. Next is the
Article 8 which is the “Respect for human vulnerability and personal integrity” that ratifies the
protection of individuals and groups with specific vulnerability and the respect for individual
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integrity. It emphasizes that vulnerability should be taken into consideration in applying and
advancing the scientific development of medical practices and associated technologies. Lastly, the
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Article 10 or the “Equality, justice and equity” which shows the fundamental equality of all
human beings in dignity and rights should be respected, so that everyone should be treated justly
and equitably. The statement deals with the fundamental values of bioethics, such as dignity and
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human rights, autonomy and individual responsibility, consent, respect for human vulnerability
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and personal integrity, confidentiality, equality, justice, fairness. It also deals with issues related to
prejudice and responsibility towards future generations and the environment

4. How does the instrument safeguard human rights in the face of science and technology?
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Considering UNESCO’s role in identifying universal principles based on shared ethical

values to guide scientific and technological development and social transformation in order to
identify emerging challenges in science and technology taking into account the responsibility of
the present generations towards future generations, and that questions of bioethics, which
necessarily have an international dimension, should be treated as a whole, drawing on the

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 principles already stated in the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights
and the International Declaration on Human Genetic Data and taking account not only of the
current scientific context but also of future developments. The declaration aims to provide a
universal framework of principles and procedures to guide States in formulating their laws,
policies or other instruments in the field of bioethics. To that end, it is guided by international
laws on human rights, considering the respect for human dignity and fundamental freedoms as
essential to the development of the bioethical principles presented in them.

5. What challenges stand in the way of the instrument and its key principles in safeguarding human
rights amidst the changing scientific and technological contexts?

The UDBHR does not address the moral status of embryos and stem cells, the
permissibility of their use in research or their potential contribution to improving or harming
human health reflects the lack of consensus among and within religions and UNESCO about
controversial issues and how to address them. Some religious consultants suggested that the
UDBHR offer mechanisms to enable diverse societies to seek solutions in keeping with their own

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moral traditions and to balance competing values in a multicultural context. The UDBHR does

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not do so, however, either because no consensus emerged on these important points or because no

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one was able to identify or incorporate such mechanisms.

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