UNESCO attends “Summit 30 – The Integrity of Urge”

The Neurological Society of Iran and the Attar Foundation opened a two-week scientific-literary symposium, which gathered renowned neurosurgeons, artists and psychologists from around the globe to highlight the inseparable link between the psyche and the human body, AVA Diplomatic reports.

Summit 30 aspires to sow the seed of friendship and unity between different branches of knowledge, in particular art and science.

Mrs. Zarif, wife of Foreign Minister Dr. Zarif, opened the symposium by conveying the message of her husband to the international participants.

After that, Ms. Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office delivered a speech on bioethics and UNESCO’s role in that field.

“Progress in the life sciences is giving human beings new power to improve our health and control the development processes of all living species. However, concerns about the social, cultural, legal and ethical implications of such progress have led to one of the most significant debates of the past century”, said Ms. Kuisch Laroche. “How far can we go? How do we deal with the relationship between ethics, science and freedom, and with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law and philosophy; as well as the questions of values in primary care and other branches of medicine?” asked the UNESCO Representative.

She went on to speak about UNESCO’s Bioethics Programme, which was created in 1993, and highlighted Iran’s keen interest in the issue of bioethics and ethics in science and technology. “We have an Iranian National Committee of Bioethics and Ethics in Science and Technology, as well as two health-related UNESCO Chairs at Tehran University. In addition, on the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, UNESCO established in 2003 the Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science. This Prize, which is awarded every two years, is intended to reward the activities of individuals and groups in the field of ethics in science.”

The Summit 30 is being held in Niavaran Palace in Tehran and will go on until the 5th of May. The presentations will cover a wide-range of topics from the influence of music on health, to the sustainable development goals and health.