International

The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences



The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization established jointly by WHO and UNESCO in 1949. The membership of CIOMS in 2003 includes 48 international member organizations, representing many of the biomedical disciplines, and 18 national members mainly representing national academies of sciences and medical research councils. The main objectives of CIOMS are: To facilitate and promote international activities in the field of biomedical sciences, especially when the participation of several international associations and national institutions is deemed necessary; To maintain collaborative relations with the United Nations and its specialized agencies, in particular with WHO and UNESCO; To serve the scientific interests of the international biomedical community in general.


ETHICA - Ethics and Health: An International and Comparative Arena

ETHICA was established to be a forum for sustained examination of some of the pressing ethical issues in international health, in the belief that such an examination is necessary to provide a better foundation for sound health policy. We focus on three areas of investigation: Human rights, equity and health sector reform; Ethical issues in collaborative research in developing countries; Cross-cultural bioethics.


International Association of Bioethics



The International Association of Bioethics aims to be truly international, linking all those working in bioethics and related fields, facilitating mutual contact, and encouraging the discussion of cross-cultural aspects in bioethics.


The International Dental Ethics and Law Society



The Society has been established to foster an international dialogue on the values guiding the practice of oral health care. This dialogue is intended to be multidisciplinary, involving the disciplines of dentistry and auxiliary oral health sciences on the one hand, and those of ethics and law on the other, as well as related disciplines such as philosophy, the humanities and the social sciences.


International Network for the Definition of Death



The Network is an affiliate of the International Association of Bioethics devoted to the discussion of the ethical and medical issues associated with: diagnosis and differentiation of brain death, coma, and persistent vegetative state; differentiation of anencephaly and other severe neurological deficits from brain death; organ transplantation and termination of treatment decisions for the brain-dead and neurologically impaired; philosophical issues of personhood and rights related to the status of the brain dead and neurologically impaired.


International Network on Feminist Approaches to Bioethics



The Network’s goals are to develop a more inclusive theory of bioethics encompassing the standpoints and experiences of women and other marginalized social groups, to examine presuppositions embedded in the dominant bioethical discourse that privilege those already empowered, and to create new methodologies and strategies responsive to the disparate conditions of women's lives across the globe. FAB is committed to a non-hierarchical model of organization and seeks to include all who share our goals and will strive to advance them, including academics, professionals, grassroots activists, and concerned persons from all fields.


The International Society of Bioethics



The International Society of Bioethics (SIBI) was founded in 1996.
It is a society which aims to promote reflection, analysis and open discussion on bioethical issues, as expressed in its Charter of Principles. One of its main tasks is to disseminate the Bioethics Convention of Asturias and study in depth its contents and those of its Protocols. The SIBI is legally, economically and administratively supported by the same-named Foundation.


Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review



The Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review (SIDCER) is a network of independently established regional fora for ethical review committees, health researchers and invited partner organizations. The primary objective of SIDCER is to contribute to human subject protections globally by developing local capacity for ethical review of research involving human subjects and for developing policies on the ethics of health research.


UNESCO International Bioethics Committee



The International Bioethics Committee (IBC) was created in 1993 and is a body of 36 independent experts that follows progress in the life sciences and its applications in order to ensure respect for human dignity and freedom. The IBC provides the only global forum for in-depth bioethical reflection by exposing the issues at stake. It does not pass judgment on one position or another. Instead, it is up to each country, particularly lawmakers, to reflect societal choices within the framework of national legislation and to decide between the different positions.

 
World Health Organization Ethics and Health Initiative


In October 2002, the World Health Organization launched its Ethics and Health Initiative to provide a focal point for the examination of the ethical issues raised by activities throughout the organization, including the regional and country offices, and to develop activities regarding a wide range of global bioethics topics. This website has been created as an aid to persons, both inside and outside of WHO, seeking information about bioethics. We provide a global calendar of bioethics events, resources on research ethics, and information about a range of topics in ethics.

 
World Federation of the Catholic Medical Associations


The World Federation of the Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC) has 5 aims including: coordinating the efforts of Catholic Medical Associations in the study and spread of Christian principles throughout the world; devoting itself to the study of medico-ethical problems and their practical and theoretical solution; and establishing models of cooperation in health and pastoral care with developing countries.

 

The World Medical Association Ethics Unit

The World Medical Association (WMA) Ethics Unit was created in 2003 to coordinate and expand the WMA's ethics activities. The WMA has adopted policy statements on a large number of ethical issues related to medical professionalism, patient care, research on human subjects and public policies. The Ethics Unit will help the WMA Council and standing committees review and update current policies and develop new ones on emerging ethical issues. It will also serve as a clearinghouse of ethics information resources for national medical associations, their physician members and other nterested parties and will develop new resources as appropriate. The Ethics Unit will coordinate its activities with other international organizations involved in medical ethics and health and human rights.