의료 및 생명과학연구와 ‘동의’에 관한 국제사회 논의 동향: 유네스코 국제생명윤리위원회 활동을 중심으로

Although informed consent is a core issue of bioethics at the international level, UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee(IBC) has claimed that the issue of consent needs further discussion and consideration in light of advances in science and technology and the unique cultural characteristics of each society. Accordingly, the IBC formed a working group in 2005 at its Twelfth Session in Tokyo to develop a detailed report on consent. This paper reviews international discussions on informed consent, focusing on the Report of the IBC’s Working Group on Informed Consent, and discusses the IBC’s efforts to promote a greater understanding of the principle of consent through its follow-up actions such as translating and publishing documents, holding conferences, and establishing the Global Ethics Observatory and Ethics Education Programs.