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The Appignani Bioethics Center organizes lecture series, conferences and panel discussions to facilitate public understanding of current bioethical issues. These are usually held in or around the United Nations headquarters in New York.
In addition, the Advisory Board experts participate in conferences and meetings relating to bioethical issues at the UN, UNESCO and other international forums.
No upcoming events.
Past Events
Annual Conference: Food, Famine and Future Technologies: Ethical Dilemmas in a Hungry World (May 22-23, 2009).
(Click for full image)
The Appignani Bioethics Center in collaboration with the University of Montreal, Canada is organizing a conference entitled: Food, Famine and Future Technologies: Ethical Dilemmas in a Hungry World from May 22 to May 23, 2009 under the auspices of the United Nations Headquarters in NYC. The conference provides an international forum for the exchange of ideas, experiences and views regarding the priority needs and possible strategic means of enhancing the capacities of developing countries and countries with transitional economies to assess risk and monitor genetic modified organisms (GMOs). The conference will identify and suggest a number of concrete steps to alleviate world hunger.
Conference: Friday and Saturday, May 22-23, 8:30 AM-6.30 PM
Location: 777 UN Plaza, 2nd Floor, (44th St and 1st Ave), New York 10017
Cocktail Reception: Friday, May 22, 2009, 6:00-9:30 PM
Location: Tudor Hotel at the United Nations, New York City, 304 E 42nd St. (between 1st and 2nd Ave), New York, NY 10017. Mediterranean food and wine will be served.
Featured at the reception will be an Argentinean Tango performance by Laura Real: www.lauratango.com at www.tudorhotelny.com
Taking a broad and cross-disciplinary approach to addressing ethical dilemmas raised by genomic applications in agriculture, conference topics include agri-genomic innovations and their impact on society as a whole; environmental, economic, ethical, and social issues within agri-genomics.
These topics will be addressed through paper presentations and panel discussions. The deadline for the submission of abstracts (no more than 150 words) is April 15, 2009. You can send them electronically at: alita@americanhuamnist.org, beatrice.godard@umontreal.ca
Accepted papers will be peer-reviewed and published in our conference proceedings. Virtual registrations will be also available for those unable to attend the conference – this allows you to submit a paper for review and possible publication. The address for the submission of papers, registration and inquiries is:
P.O. Box 4104
Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10162
Phone: (212) 687 3324
analita@americanhumanist.org
Speakers' bios, abstracts, and photos
Feminization of HIV & Macroeconomic Policies (March 10, 2009).
The Appignani Bioethics Center, Guttmacher Institute and Population Council co-sponsor a panel discussion on "Feminization of HIV & Macroeconomic Policies." under the auspices of the fifty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, from 2 to 13 March 2009. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm
Date & Place: Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 6.00-8.00 PM, 777 UN Plaza, 10th floor - Conference Room, NY 10017
The feminization of HIV relates to gender discrimination and social restrictions. These result in women's lacking access to education and employment as well as decision-making power. Victims of gender violence, women are deprived of sexual and reproductive rights. International agreements and decisions on gender equality must be translated into national legal frameworks and action plans. The focus of this panel is the social, economic, cultural and legal aspects of the epidemic, but to truly understand its feminization we need to consider how macroeconomic policies might improve women's access to resources and political influence.
The panel discussion is followed by a cocktail reception (cheese and wine will be served). The event is open to public and is free. A U.N. Grounds Pass is not required to attend.
Contact: 212-687-3324 (tel)
alita@americanhumanist.org
Medical Ethics & Human Rights: Impact on the Doctor-Patient Relationship
The Appignani Bioethics Center and NGO Health Committee co-sponsor a panel discussion on human rights and their impact on doctor-patient relationship.
Date & Place: Wednesday, October.29, 2008, 1:00 PM-3:00 PM, 777 UN PLAZA, 10th Floor, 10th floor - Conference Room, NY 10017
A 15 minutes documentary film will be presented entitled "Children of the Decree" by Romanian filmmaker Florin Lepan. In 2004 the film was selected for screening in NYC by the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival. This documentary analyzes Romania's quest during Ceausescu's dictatorship to increase their population by over fifty percent in a single decade through imposing a ban on abortion from 1966 till 1989. It was a unique experiment in human reproduction infringing upon women's rights.
Children of the Decree (video clip)
17th World Humanist Congress 2008
IHEU in association with member organization American Humanist Association held the 17th World Humanist Congress in Washington, DC, USA on June 6-8, 2008. The Congress theme was E Pluribus Unum: Reclaiming Humanist Values.
On Saturday, June 7, 2008 – IHEU Appignani Center for Bioethics presented a panel entitled: Leading Bioethical Issues Today, convening prominent experts in bioethics and the medical sciences.
Biotechnology, nanotechnology, reproductive health technology, and the entire gamut of ever-advancing medical sciences have not only afforded novel ways for solving old problems, but have also unveiled new areas of controversy. From face-transplants to IQ-enhancing genome manipulations, society faces plethora of choices but, unfortunately, little accompanying guidance on how to approach them.
The humanist bioethics perspective holds that careful analysis and ethical consideration can at least help frame and possibly make progress in conceptualizing and understanding many of these issues. This moral framework is informed by science and rationality, with the aim of promoting core human values such as freedom and autonomy, while recognizing that the needs of individuals and societies may often conflict, requiring resolution. Read more about the panel and program at www.americanhumanist.org/conference/
Speakers and Topics from the Congress
New Dilemmas in Medicine: Three Current Controversies in Genetics, Religion, and Big Pharma
IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics and Bioethics International, both headquartered in New York City, cordially invite you to attend a one-day conference on Friday, May 23rd 2008, from 9:30 AM to 6:45 PM. Location: 777 UN Plaza (corner of 44th Street and 1st Avenue), 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017.
Following the conference there will be a Cocktail Reception from 7 PM to 9:30 PM featuring an Argentinean Tango performance by Laura Real at a location still to be announced. For more information, click on any of the following links:
Panel Discussion at the UN: The Impact of Obstetric Fistula and Economic Empowerment
On March the 3rd, 2008, at 777 United Nations Plaza, 10th Floor, the IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics, the NGO Health Committee, the Working Group on Girls of the NGO Committee on UNICEF and Women's Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church presented a unique panel discussion on obstretic fistula.
For more information, click on any of the following links:
"A Walk to Beautiful" Synopsis
Human Rights for the 21st Century: Rights of the Person to Technological Self-Determination
The IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics and The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies presented Human Rights for the 21st Century: Rights of the Person to Technological Self-Determination - May 11-13, 2007 in New York City.
Keynote speaker: Jonathan D. Moreno Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Professor of Medical Ethics, History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Speakers
At the Conference Reception at the Romanian Consulate in NYC, on May 12, 2007:
(l. to r.) Pietro Pavoni (Romanian Consul, NY), Eris Rurka (student), Ana Lita (director of the IHEU Appignani Center),
and Jonathan D. Moreno, keynote speaker.
Intersecting Human Rights Crises: Organ Transplantation and Organ Trafficking
On Decmber 11, 2007, at at 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, 2nd Floor, from 6:00 PM to 8.00 PM, the IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics in NYC co-sponsored by the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women (OSAGI) and the Council of Europe invite you to attend a panel discussion on organ trafficking and transplantation.
United Nations Related Events
As a non-governmental organization with UN consultative status, IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics interacts in various ways with diverse UN bodies including the Office of the Gender Advisor of the Secretary General (OSAGI), the Human Rights Committee, Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
Read below about some recent past events:
• On February 28, 2007, Dr. Ana Lita, Director of the IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics, in collaboration with PCI-Media Impact and Femme Afrique Solidarite (FAS) moderated a panel on "Health and Empowerment: The impact of HIV/AIDS Epidemic Worldwide and Female Genital Mutilation in African Diaspora Communities" at the United Nations under the auspices of the Division for the Advancement of Women, Commission on the Status of Women. The panel discussed the health and empowerment of women, focusing on the international HIV/AIDS epidemic, female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa and immigrant communities living in Western nations.
• On June 6, 2006 Dr. Ana Lita, Director of the IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics, spoke at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for the Advancement of Women. The meeting (top right) was chaired by Ms. Rachel Mayanja (top left), UN Assistant Secretary General and Special Advisor to UN Secretary on Gender Issues and Women's Advancement (OSAGI). Over 20 high-ranking UN officials attended the meeting. The text of her article, "New vaccines for cervical cancer and new controversies", Network, The UN Newsletter, Vol 10, No 2, 2006 is available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/network/vol.10_no2_2006.pdf
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