Scientific ethics and bioethics

Since the 1970s, UNESCO has encouraged collaboration between the fields of ethics and science, as well as discussion with political decision makers and civil society in order to support Member States in taking well-informed actions on ethical questions in science and technology. The main focus of work in the field of scientific ethics at UNESCO is on Bioethics. The UNESCO Bioethics Programme was set up in 1993 with the goal of finding common values and criteria that respond to the ethical and social questions of global change. There are currently six UNESCO Chairs on Bioethics, one of which is in Vienna. Austria was represented at the International Bioethics Committee twice by Dr Christiane Druml, who has been the UNESCO Chair for Bioethics at the Medical University of Vienna since 2015.