Your Royal Highness,
Mr Minister,
Mr Chairperson of COMEST,
Distinguished Members of COMEST,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me first to express my great pleasure at being here with you today. One of UNESCO's key priorities is the promotion of ethics of science and technology, and this fourth session of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology, COMEST, is an event of central importance in determining UNESCO's actions in this domain. By inviting us to hold this fourth session in Bangkok, the Kingdom of Thailand has also provided a privileged platform for UNESCO and COMEST to exchange views with representatives from the Asia-Pacific region. Let me express my gratitude to the Kingdom of Thailand for giving us this excellent opportunity. I am also particularly pleased and honoured at the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and for the personal interest she has expressed in the work of COMEST and in this event.
We are living through times of rapid changes and developments in science and the nature of its applications. The potential benefit of these new innovations to society is astounding. We are naturally led to ask ourselves how we may – and, crucially, how we should – harness this latent power. Here, the Charter of the United Nations gives us direction. It stipulates that science should promote "social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom".
In striving for "social progress", we must bear in mind that equity is central to that concept. The accumulation of scientific knowledge and the technological applications that flow from it have transformed human life in modern times. However, the benefits have accrued to the privileged, causing yawning gaps in wealth and opportunity to widen still further.
The issue of how we should manage scientific and technological advancement straddles all realms of society, from politics and economics to religion and culture, each of which is in itself a heterogeneous domain containing a multitude of views and perceptions that should be taken into account. Our world is a patchwork of different communities that, with the development of science and technology, are being sewn ever more tightly together. With this greater interconnectedness our actions are having even more far- reaching impacts. This is why it is becoming increasingly necessary to draw up generally accepted standards that would guide our actions in the area of science and technology. However, this calls for the reconciliation of differing views and conflicting principles, a task that defies easy resolution.
UNESCO recognizes that norm building is a long-term endeavour. However, I believe principles set out in normative instruments cannot be achieved or properly implemented without a better understanding of the ethical implications of scientific and technological developments. In this regard, we should foster all forms of ethics education and training at all levels, as well as public information and knowledge dissemination programmes about ethics of science and technology. UNESCO therefore attaches great importance to the involvement of our youth - those who will be the actors in the world of tomorrow. The Youth Forum that will take place in conjunction with this COMEST session is aimed at focusing the attention of young people on science and encouraging them to take into account the ethical considerations that must accompany science.
I look forward to the outcome of this session of COMEST, which I am sure will be fruitful. In my keynote address, I will elaborate on the various activities that UNESCO is carrying out in the area of ethics of science and technology.
I wish you a pleasant and fruitful meeting.