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About Bioethics Unit
Histoy
- The Regional Program on Bioethics (currently Bioethics Unit) was established
in Santiago of Chile in 1994 through a tree - part agreement between the Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO), the University of Chile and the Government
of Chile. In 2000, the 42nd Directive Council of PAHO, after examining its
activities and development, recommended its continuation and proposed to the
Member States to foster the bioethical reflection in the context of its plans
and programs of assistance and research in health, Resolution CD42.R6 of September
2000. The Regional Program on Bioethics has promoted the development of bioethical
reflection, has collaborated in activities programmed by academic institutions
and of service, has carried out researches and surveys, and has contributed
to the work of PAHO Representations in the majority of the countries of Latin
America and the Caribbean.
Mission
- The Unit is a technical program of the Area of Health Systems Strengthening
which collaborates with public and private institutions in developing and
applying concepts and procedures appropriate to the ethical sustainability
of decisions regarding scientific research, technical training, professional
development, health care and formulation of local and interlocal healthcare
policies.
Vision
- The Program constitutes an institutional response to the challenge of deriving
ethically sustainable results from technological and scientific research and
its applications to the health field. Bioethics deals with ethics of the health
professions in a perspective open to dialogue, pluralism, and integration
of moral certitudes. It represents an interdisciplinary field related to human
welfare, technological and scientific progress and environmental preservation.
Objectives
- Initiate, promote and support activities related to the ethical assessment
of results and procedures from biomedical and psychosocial research, health
care and general or professional education.
- Contribute to the academic and applied development of health-related interdisciplines
from the standpoint of bioethical methods and procedures.
- Collaborate with PAHO/WHO Divisions, Institutes and Centers in the formulation,
implementation, realization, and evaluation of plans, programs and projects.
- Identify individuals and institutions involved in bioethical reflection
and develop interaction networks for the strengthening of research, teaching,
and public communication.
- Serve as reference point for conceptualizing emergent problems related to
accessibility, equity, values, and social support of public policies on healthcare.
- Develop ties with centers and organisms outside Latin America and the Caribbean
in order to stress the regional specificity in contents and policies. Contribute
to world literature in bioethical matters.
Principal Activities
- The Bioethics Unit stimulates, fosters, supports and implements conferences,
courses, seminaries and workshops in all the countries of the Region, altogether
with other organisms of PAHO and their Representations, in the framework of
the technical collaboration for the development of human resources in Bioethics.
- The Bioethics Unit collaborates with the development of basic and advanced
academic programs for training, capacitating and improving health professionals'
work and those in other related areas.
- The Bioethics Unit participates in the design and formulation of policies
for scientific research according to the PAHO/WHO objectives in the area of
the countries of the Region.
- The Bioethics Unit keeps a Documentation Center and Data Bases about interdisciplinary
matters that belong to the bioethics field.
- The Bioethics Unit supports publications and programs that have as goal
the conceptual strengthening, diffusion and rigor of the applied ethical work
that is been developed in the countries of the Region.
- The Bioethics Unit publishes periodically technical documents, monographs,
study texts and informative bulletins to document and preserve regional contributions
to the bioethical field.
- The Bioethics Unit collaborates with the Interdisciplinary Center for Studies
on Bioethics of the University of Chile in keeping a web site that serves
as a bibliographic reference tool, source of original documentation and information
about the development of bioethics in the countries of the Region.
- The Bioethics Unit operates as an intermediary among experts, general public,
legislators, researchers and planners in the experiences interchange, concepts
and priorities to contrast, articulate and harmonize divergent ways of thinking
about ethical implications of science, technology and administration.
Informes de actividades
Informe de
actividades 2007-2008 (en PDF)
Informe de
Actividades 2005-2006 (en PDF)
Informe de Actividades 2003-2004 (en PDF)
Informe de Actividades
2000 (en PDF)
Sinopsis histórica
1994-1999 (en PDF)
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