Fundo Nacional De Investigacao and UNESCO host workshop on ethics of science and technology and bioethics in Mozambique

The Fundo Nacional De Investigacao (FNI) and the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa hosted the national workshop on the ethics of Science and Technology and Bioethics in Maputo, Mozambique from 13 July 2022 to 15 July 2022.
The workshop saw the training, sharing of experiences, and the creation of understanding with science actors to establish an Ethics Council for Scientific Research Activities which will be responsible for evaluating and monitoring the ethical aspects of all research in the field of Bioethics to safeguard the dignity, rights, safety and wellbeing of the research subject.

This initiative is part of the Science and Technology Code of Ethics. It advocates for the creation of the Ethics Council for Scientific Research Activities and within the global framework of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2005).

Attending the workshop were Leaders from Higher Education Institutions (IES) and Research Institutions; Members of the Advisory Board of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education; Members of the National Centre for Ethics in Science and Technology; National Commission of Mozambique for UNESCO; National Public Administration Ethics Commission; and Researchers.

Prof. Daniel Nivagara, Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education in Mozambique praised the initiative saying the application of ethical standards in Science and Technology and Bioethics will help reduce poverty, and advance people's overall well-being, and dignity.

We do believe that science, when conducted and applied accordingly with ethical standards, can contribute to reducing poverty, and advance the people's well-being and dignity.

Prof. Daniel Nivagara, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education in Mozambique

Expressing optimism, Prof. Nivagara added that the workshop would influence and shape the national dialogue, legislation, and policies on ethics of science, technology, and bioethics in Mozambique.

We expect that this workshop jointly organized with UNESCO will shape the national dialogue, legislation, and policies on ethics of science, technology, and bioethics in our country. The next step is to establish a National Consultative Council on Ethics.

Prof. Daniel Nivagara, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education in Mozambique.

The key outcomes, as shared by Mr. Paul Gomis, Head of UNESCO Maputo Office include:

1. First, we need to provide as much information as possible on the importance of the subject, to acknowledge collectively the needs and social demand on addressing the ethical and bioethical challenges. This workshop has been the first action, and many others will have to follow to reach as many institutions as possible.
2. Second, we need to understand the ground in-depth. For this, a State of the Art assessment needs will be conducted to identify the actors, the existing work, and the gaps that we need to address collectively. In addition, we must learn from the existing committees, and assess where a National Committee can make a difference and move the matter further.
3. Thirdly, there is a need for a National Debate on the Ethical and Bioethical that Mozambique faces as a Nation. This implies unpacking the key ethical issues and identifying the best architecture to address them in a collegial manner. Such a Debate is key to developing public awareness and understanding of the urgency of the matter and therefore ensuring the Nation's ownership.
4. Thirdly, we will have to formulate a detailed technical proposal, in which we would agree on the nature, the vision, the mandate, the scope, the composition, and the resource of the National Committee.
5. Then finally, the officialising of the creation by law can be done, by the Government and the Parliament.