International conference "Free and informed consent as a core principle of the protection of human rights in the field of biomedicine"

Crowne Plaza, 13 Kirov str, Minsk
8 December 2017

The conference is dedicated to bioethics - the field of human rights, looking at challenges raised by evolution of practices and developments in science and technology in medicine and biology. Increasing possibilities to intervene and control human life call for thorough examination of possible abuse and misuse of biomedical applications promoting thereby progress for the benefit of human health in particular. To address the sensitive and complex issues at stake, it is essential that legal as well as health professionals are familiar with the implications of core principles of Human Rights in biomedicine, such as the principle of free and informed consent prior to any intervention in the health field.

This conference focused on this key principle of human rights’ protection enshrined in the Oviedo Convention. Recent case-law of the European Court of Human Rights reflect the topicality of this issue.  It demonstrates also the importance of examining the implementation of this principle from both medical and legal perspectives. The conference did so looking also at specific biomedical fields of application, such as clinical practice, biomedical research and organ and tissue donation. It provided a unique opportunity to look into ethical and legal aspects of the implementation of the principle from the perspectives of various State authorities, national organisations and the Council of Europe to have interdisciplinary dialog and exchange of good practices and to tackle the matter of common concern.