In the framework of the Action Plan of the Council of Europe for Belarus, the Bioethics Unit of the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Belarusian authorities, under their request and with the support of the Council of Europe Information Point in Minsk organised a number of activities for executive, legislative and judicial authorities, health and legal professionals as well as other persons interested in protection of human rights in biomedicine.
The relevant extract of the Action Plan of the Council of Europe for Belarus, jointly developed by the Council of Europe and the Belarusian authorities:
"To raise awareness and promote Council of Europe human rights standards in biomedical field (bioethics) and to provide basis for further co-operation of the Belarusian authorities and the CoE in this field, whereby:
- The awareness of executive, legislative and judicial authorities, as well as professionals concerned, of CoE human rights standards and work in the biomedical field (bioethics), including the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo Convention, CETS No. 164) and its Additional protocols (CETS no. 168, 186, 195 and 203), is raised;
- The legal regulatory framework of organ transplantation with special attention to the rights of donors and recipients is improved; and
- Further public discussions on main challenges to the human rights protection in biomedicine are fostered
Under the proposed project, a number of seminars/trainings on the CoE standards in the field of human rights and ethics in biomedicine will be organised for representatives of executive, legislative and judicial authorities, medical professionals.
The Belarusian experts will familiarise themselves with main issues related to the human rights protection in biomedicine, including legal framework and challenges faced. The awareness of relevant Belarusian stakeholders on the CoE Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs (CETS No. 216) will also be raised."
