World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology

About COMEST

The Commission is composed of eighteen leading scholars from scientific, legal, philosophical, cultural and political disciplines from various regions of the world, appointed by the UNESCO Director-General in their individual capacity, along with eleven ex officio members representing UNESCO's international science programmes and global science communities.

The Commission is mandated to formulate ethical principles that could provide decision-makers with criteria that extend beyond purely economic considerations.

COMEST* works in several areas:

environmental ethics, with reference inter alia to climate change, biodiversity, water and disaster prevention;
the ethics of nanotechnologies along with related new and emerging issues in converging technologies;
ethical issues relating to the technologies of the information society;
science ethics; and
gender issues in ethics of science and technology.

Since its inception in 1998, the functioning of COMEST has been guided by its adopted by the UNESCO Executive Board at its 154th session. See also its .

*Acronym taken from the French name 'Commission mondiale d’éthique des connaissances scientifiques et des technologies'.

Work Programme for 2024-2025

Based on the discussions during the 13th (Ordinary) Session of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (Paris, September 2023), the Bureau of COMEST finalised in December 2023 the work programme of the Commission for 2024-2025 as follows:

The Commission will address the ethics of quantum computing, building on its work on the ethics of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT).
The Commission will also address the ethical considerations on space exploration and exploitation, following its reflection on the ethics of water, land-use and climate engineering.

The Commission will remain open to addressing other emerging challenges related to the ethics of science and technology during the 2024-2025 biennium.

What are COMEST's tasks?

To advise the Organization on its programme concerning the ethics of scientific knowledge and technology;
To be an intellectual forum for the exchange of ideas and experience;
To detect on that basis the early signs of risk situations;
To perform the role of adviser to decision-makers in this respect;
To promote dialogue between scientific communities, decision-makers and the public at large.

Bureau

During its 13th (Ordinary) Session, COMEST proceeded with the election of its Bureau: a Chairperson, two Vice-Chairpersons and a Rapporteur, who will remain in office until the end of the 14th (Ordinary) Session (2025), provided that they remain members of the Commission.

The following members were elected to the Bureau:

Chairperson

Ms Emma RUTTKAMP-BLOEM (South Africa)

Rapporteur

Mr Sang Wook YI (Republic of Korea)

Vice-chairperson

Ms Tereza STOCKELOVA (Czechia)

How are COMEST members chosen?

The Director-General appoints the 18 COMEST members to serve for four-year terms in their personal capacities. The Commission members are chosen from among eminent personalities in the fields of science, professional engineering, law, philosophy, culture, religion or politics. Due account is taken of geographical distribution and coverage of the various disciplines and schools of thought. At each ordinary session, the Commission elects a President, two vice-Presidents and a Rapporteur, who form the Bureau of COMEST.

COMEST Members

BAKUWA Dr (Mr) Japhet (Malawi)
Doctor of Philosophy in Science and Technology Studies
Senior Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, University of Malawi
Member, University of Malawi Emergency Advisory Committee (2021-present)
Former Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Chancellor College, University of Malawi (2017-2018)
Former Head of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University of Malawi (2010-2011)
Member, National Committee on Bioethics, Malawi
Member, Advisory Board, Social Ethics Society Journal of Applied Philosophy
Former Associate Editor, Journal of Humanities (2017-2018)

CAMILLONI Prof. (Ms) Inés (Argentina)
Full Professor, Dept. of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, University of Buenos Aires
Researcher, Centre for Marine and Atmospheric Research (CIMA), National Scientific
and Technical Research Council (CONICET/UBA), Buenos Aires
Member, Advisory Committee on Climate Change, Environmental Protection Agency, Buenos Aires City Government
Member, Scientific Advisory Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)
Vice-Chair, Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

CHEN Prof. (Ms) Ying (China)
Senior Research Fellow, Research Institute for Eco-civilization (RIEco), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Professor, University of CASS
Deputy Director, Research Center for Sustainable Development (RCSD), CASS
Lead Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) WGIII, AR5 and AR6
Vice-Chairwoman, Chinese National Committee for Future Earth (CNC-FE)
Vice-Director, Environmental Economics Branch, Chinese Society Environmental Sciences
Vice Director, Climate Change and Low Carbon Development Committee, Chinese Meteorological Society

DOLENC Dr (Mr) Sašo (Slovenia)
Researcher in Philosophy, The Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law of Ljubljana
Freelance science writer and science communicator
Member, Commission for equal opportunities in science, Slovenia
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the online science magazine kvarkadabra.net / sci-highs.com
Former researcher Philosophy, Dept. of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University Ljubljana
Former member, Science and Technology Council of the Republic of Slovenia

EL FALLAH SEGHROUCHNI Prof. (Ms) Amal (Morocco)
Full Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Sorbonne University
Head of International AI center of Morocco, Ai Movement

GAMBORG Prof. (Mr) Christian (Denmark)
Professor (Full) in Environmental Ethics, University of Copenhagen
Member, Danish Ethical Council, appointed by the Minister for the Environment
Member, Advisory Board BIOSOLUTIONS
Associate Editor, Journal Human Dimensions of Wildlife

HAMZÉ Prof. (Mr) Mouïn (Lebanon)
Doctor Es-Science from France
Chairperson, Management Board, Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), Slovenia
Emeritus Professor and Former Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences,
Lebanese University
Former Secretary General, National Council for Scientific Research - Lebanon, CNRS-L
Regional Advisor and Expert on Science Policy, Research, Development, and Innovation
President of several international and Mediterranean organizations dedicated to advancing higher education, research, scientific collaboration and innovation at the regional level
Author, “Empowering Knowledge and Innovation: Challenges for the Arab Countries”

ISEDA Prof. (Mr) Tetsuji (Japan)
Professor, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Japan

JUÁREZ MOJICA (Mr) Javier (Mexico)
Acting Chairman, Board of the Federal Telecommunications Institute
Former Head, Regulatory Policy Unit, Federal Telecommunications Institute
Former Director-General, Federal Commission on Telecommunications

KETTEMANN Prof. (Mr) Matthias (Austria)
Professor of Innovation, Theory and Philosophy of Law, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Head of Department, Department of Theory and Future of Law, University of Innsbruck
Director, Innsbruck Quantum Ethics Lab and Head, Digital Diversity Law Lab, University of Innsbruck
Senior Researcher and Research Programme Leader, Leibniz Institute for Media Research (Hans-Bredow-Institut), Hamburg
Research Group Leader, Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin
Member, AI Advisory Council, UNESCO Commission for Austria

MAVHUNGA Prof. (Mr) Chakanetsa (Zimbabwe)
Professor of Science, Technology & Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Affiliate Professor/Visiting Professor, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, Kenya
Series Editor, MIT Press Book Global South Cosmologies and Epistemologies Series

OCAMPO Dr (Ms) Adriana (Colombia)
Planetary geologist and Former Science Program Manager, NASA Headquarters
Former Lead Program Executive, New Frontiers Program, NASA
Former Program Executive, Discovery Program Lucy Mission / Juno Mission to Jupiter / New Horizons Mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt
Former Science Coordinator for planetary missions (Viking, Mars Observer, Voyager, Galileo, etc), Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Member, Colombian Academy of Science

PATRÃO NEVES Prof. (Ms) Maria (Portugal)
Full Professor of Ethics (University of the Açores)
President, National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences, Portugal
Vice-President, European Group of Ethics in Science and New Technologies of the European Commission
Member, Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO) of the Council of Europe
Ethics Advisor and Chair of Ethics Advisory Boards (EAC) of several European Research Projects
Member, Lisbon Academy of Sciences
Former consultant on Ethics of Life for the President of the Portuguese Republic

RUTTKAMP-BLOEM Prof. (Ms) Emma (South Africa)
Professor and Head, Department of Philosophy, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Research Lead, Ethics of AI, Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research, South Africa
Member, International Academy for the Philosophy of Science
Member, United Nations AI Advisory Body
Associate Editor, Science and Engineering Ethics
COMEST Chairperson (2024-2025) ; Rapporteur (2022-2023)

SANTOSUOSSO Prof. (Mr) Amedeo (Italy)
Founder & Director, International Center for Law, Science & New Technologies
(ICLT), IUSS Pavia
Professor of Law, Decision-making and Law, University School for Advanced Studies, IUSS Pavia
Former President, First Chamber, Court of Appeal of Milan
Former President, European Association for Neuroscience and Law (EANL)

SCHUBERT Dr. (Ms) Julia (Germany)
Postdoc. Researcher, Department of Sociology, University of Frankfurt
Fullbright Scholar, Center for Science & Technology Policy Research, University of Colorado, Boulder
Junior Fellow, Bielefeld University’s Institute for Advanced Study (ZiF)
Fellow, Climate Social Science Network (CSSN), Brown University

STOCKELOVA Prof. (Ms) Tereza (Czech Republic)
Senior Researcher, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Associate Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Czech Rep.
Member of the Commission for the Scientific Integrity of the Czech Academy of Sciences
COMEST Vice-Chairperson (2024-2025)

YI Prof. (Mr) Sang Wook (Republic of Korea)
Professor of Philosophy, Hanyang University
Former President, Korean Society for the Philosophy of Science
Chairperson, Division of Ethics and Safety, National High-Level Committee for AI Strategies, Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea
Director, HY Center for Ethics, Law & Policy of Science & Technology,
Hanyang University
COMEST Vice-Chairperson (2022-2023), Rapporteur (2024-2025)

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Ex-officio Members of the Commission

Marie-Geneviève Pinsart
Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC)
Mylène Deschênes
International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (IBC)
Françoise Baylis
John Finney
Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP)
Intergovernmental Council of the Management of Social Transformations Programme (MOST)
International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies (ICPHS)
International Geoscience Programme (IGCP)
Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB)

Who can participate in or attend COMEST sessions?

Member States and Associate Members of UNESCO may participate as observers in the meetings of the Commission;
States which are not members of UNESCO, but members of the United Nations system organizations, may participate as observers in the Commission’s meetings at the invitation of the Director-General;
The United Nations and the other organizations of the United Nations system with which 91�鶹��Ʒ�� concluded mutual representation agreements may participate as observers in the Commission’s meetings;
The Commission defines, in agreement with the Director-General, the conditions under which other intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations with similar purposes to those of the Commission may be invited to attend its debates.

Orientation

UNESCO’s activities in the ethics of science and technology are especially centred on the implementation of the orientation given to COMEST since the 32nd General Conference. The orientation has three dimensions.

First, it aims at bringing the global debate to the regional level, creating better connections with the scientific community and focusing on the issues that are pertinent to specific regions. The 3rd session of COMEST in Rio de Janeiro in December 2003 inaugurated this approach.
It aims at delivering particular and timely products to the Member States, especially through standard-setting activities. In the decisions taken at its 169th session, the Executive Board requested the Director-General, with the advice of COMEST, to undertake studies on the advisability of drafting an international instrument on the ethics of outer space and on an international declaration on science ethics that could serve as a basis for an ethical code of conducts for scientists, as well as on possible international action in the field of environmental ethics.
Finally, it aims at applying such standards into the scientific and policy communities, creating awareness of the ethical issues and building capacities to deal with them appropriately. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of teaching ethics in scientific education.

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