Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2010; 1(1):4 Review of Bioethics Education in Bangladesh Prof. Shamima Parvin Lasker, Professor of Anatomy, City Dental College, Dhaka. Arif Hossain, PhD fellow, Washington University, USA Email: splasker04@yahoo.com A survey has been carried out from 1st November to 30th December 2008 in different institutes of Dhaka City to evaluate the current status of bioethics education in science in Bangladesh under the auspices of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Dhaka. People face dilemma with advancing science and technology along with enormous health and environmental problems. Bioethics may make bridge between science, technology, social, cultural and spiritual values. There is huge gap in teaching of ethics in undergraduate level. Moreover, demand for health research in this country is constantly increasing and international collaboration is growing rapidly in Bangladesh. Recently each faculty try to establish own ethical review committee. Although there are a few training programmes on research ethics has been conducted but these are still not enough to meet the growing need for research and an ethical review process. Increasing awareness, sensitivity, research and practice of bioethics in various disciplines of medical science, science and social sciences are required. Ethical problem can not be resolved if not first noticeable. Thus bioethics education / activity is essential in Bangladesh. Governments can create a national bioethics commissions by which they can bridge on issues of both scientific and moral complexity in health, science, environment and social science. Environmental Pollution Dr Khandaker Rashedul Haque, Director General, Academy for Planning & Development, Ministry of Planning Email: rashedul.haque@yahoo.com Protection of environment through enforcement of environmental law in Bangladesh is a real challenge; especially for those who are mandated to do it. This is really a defining moment for government, whose priority for development is driven by decisions to balance pressure groups and environmental activists, as well as for the officials, who are very often in between two fires because of baffling instructions from the government. It requires high amount of moral courage for the government official to be ready to take challenge to fight for the environment, even sometimes risking career. Along with that is the temptation in more than one form that comes through tantalizingly. The businessmen whose industries and plants need to be run in compliance with the obligation they need to fulfill do make commitment only to be broken in the process making the life of the officials all the more difficult and challenging, especially these people have high clouts in the society to buy decision in their favour. 4 mailto:rashedul.haque@yahoo.com mailto:splasker04@yahoo.com Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2010; 1(1):5 However, it’s not only enforcement; there need to be strong collaboration between the officials enforcing legal provisions and the business community as well as other stakeholders who are ever vigilant to see sustainable development. The element of reciprocity and complementarity needs to be in place towards ensuring appropriate environment for sustainable development. Above all, it’s the leadership of the officials who make the difference in the enforcement of environmental law in the country by sheer courage and steadfastness in decision-making and implementation. Ethics of Energy Technologies Prof. Darryl Macer, Ph.D., Regional Adviser for Social and Human Sciences in Asia and Pacific, RUSHSAP, UNESCO Bangkok Email: d.macer@unesco.org The Regional Unit in Social and Human Sciences in Asia and the Pacific (RUSHSAP) at UNESCO Bangkok launched the Ethics of Energy Technologies in Asia and the Pacific Project in September 2007. The launch conference was held also with the cooperation of the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Science and Technology of Thailand. A full report of that conference is available on the web, as well as the abstracts of the three day meeting, attended by a hundred people from about 20 countries from many sectors and backgrounds. Since then there have been a number of subsequent conferences and working group sessions organized in different countries, and a summary of these will be presented. Following on from that conference fourteen working groups have been formed on the following topics (more details appear in the project introduction document) [http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=energyethics]: • Universalism and environmental values • Ethical worldviews of nature • Visions and hopes of the future • Representation and who decides • Community engagement • Stakeholder responsibilities • Energy equity and human security • Cost-benefit analysis and economic constructions • Adoption & development of energy technologies (state of the art review) • Ethical frameworks for research agendas and policy • Educational frameworks for environmental ethics • Nuclear dialogues • Energy flow, environment, and ethical implications of meat production • Water ethics and water resource management The aim of the working groups is to develop dialogue around these particular issues with a focus on environmental ethics and human security. Each group will produce a report with policy options that can be used by policy makers, philosophers, scientists and researchers to consider the ethical dimensions of energy policy. All can follow the report development through the individual websites. The reports will also feed into the COMEST considerations on the ethics of climate change. There are approximately 200 persons who are currently members of the working groups, from young and old, many disciplines, professions and country. This overview will introduce some of the working group results, and progress. More members are invited to join. 5 http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=energyethics