Workshop on Higher Education and Professional Responsibility

in CBRN Applied Sciences and Technology Across the Sub-Mediterranean Region Autonomy and Advice:

Preparing young scientists to be involved in Decision Making

¨Process

Farida KHAMMAR Sciences and Technology University Houari Boumediene

Algiers,Algeria

INTRODUCTION

The deep meaning of a real development is Human.

It includes both

the economic development and the essential values of the

equity among humans

It happens too often that Universities , in accomplishing

their duty to transmit the knowledges, focus exclusively

on science and technology, overshadowing arguments

linked to citizenship, international friendship and

humanities

The result is that we have more easily good technicians and engineers, that basically fail understanding the topic of the « learning together for greater security and

safety culture and responsible science »

In various countries of our sub mediterranean region we

have to form the human being to human values and inhence the educational goals of the citizenship

The development consists of the

capacity of the individuals to function towards the personnal as well as the social transformations; it should orientate the individuals in order to ameliorate them and adjust the economic inequalities

Questions of debate: -How can we move towards goods and

citizens? -What tools we need?

-How to put all scientific knowledge at the service of human development?

(a development that creates « complete » human being responsible about themselves,

the others and the environment) -In which ways young students, researchers

can help to change societies and favour a real human development?

In many countries, the ethical dimension is either not evident or insufficiently elaborated, so there is a clear need to give guidance to applicants especially in CBRN Applied Sciences and Technology. However, ethical awareness varies considerably both among different disciplines and different national contexts. So a deeper understanding of ethical considerations should lead the way towards better protecting the rights and welfare of participants in various situations. The implementation/application of the Carthagena Protocol of from the Biodiversity Convention still needs much help.

• In Algeria, since the ratification of the Protocol, very few debates concerning information on biotechnology and biosafety reinforcing capacity building of social groups have taken place.

• Nevertheless trumps for the development of biotechnologies, bioethics and biosafety as human potential, research institutions, economic enterprises and transition towards economic market exist:

Development of training in biotechnologies, bioethics and biosafety is a reality just as

Information, Communication and Technologies (ICTs); in fact young scientists are attracted to these

disciplines because they are oriented towards possible employment and

retributions by economic enterprises

Network of 34 academic institutions involved in the Training and Research in areas of life sciences and biotechnology.

First program launched in 1991 and amended in1995 and expanded in 1998

Law No. 08-05 of February 23, 2008 34programmes dedicated research including:

Agriculture Health Environment Biodiversity Bioethics, Bio Food Security

• 6000 to 8000 graduate students/ year across different studies: biotechnology, genomes, molecular genetics,human genetic, biosecurity and nutrition. These are important figures of human potential (young researchers) and many institutions supported by the National Fund for Research also promote these programs.

• So, reinforcing capacity building social groups via young students and researchers could be a feasible approach.

From the scientific point of view, every research project has to address ethical questions; therefore there is a need for informed professional ethical judgment on how research should be carried out; what are the risks and benefits of individual participation in the research and how the risks and benefits to society as a whole are carefully balanced.

• On an other level, teacher training/formation (particular attention to university instructors) was tested in an European research project (19 countries). It was aimed to understand how biology, health and environmental education can promote better citizenship, including their affective and social dimensions

The results expected are that this understanding may clarify the relevant challenges that the education systems have to face to maximize their efficiency in order to reinforce a knowledge based society.

Citizenship is rooted in values. So we have to work on interactions between scientific knowledge and values.

Research in developing countries represent a very wide and constantly changing variety of situations. Many of the ethical issues that are specific to these countries originate from the potential vulnerability of local stakeholders. Ethical acceptability of the research must be suitable with the customs and traditions of the society concerned. So scientists have to explain how their research is bringing something extra to the community.

ACTION PLAN

-Summarize the programs and

activities of different stakeholders

-Formulate, with the coordinating bodies of scientific and

technological research, proposals on the impact of new technologies in various sectors of research and

economic output.

-Identification and analysis of options for carrying out the terms of the protocol and the results of studies and surveys, with individuals Es quality,

members of the National Coordinating Committee, National Committee of Biotechnology, the multi-sectorial commission to draft the national law on

GMOs, the Scientific Council of the National Development Agency University Research and

Scientific Council for Health Research, and other resource persons.

-evaluation mechanisms and risk management with participants from

institutions and structures of control and monitoring, which could play a role in

the biosafety process

- mechanisms of public participation in biosafety process with focusing on the

knowledge of GMOs, regulatory systems, administrative management of GMOs,

presenting the project implementation of national biosafety frameworks and

mechanisms for public participation in the Biosafety Protocol.

The National Committee for Biosafety

and Biotechnology has to publish guidance on genetic testing, on the

regulatory aspect of the use of gene therapy products, on experiments in

cell therapy and use of these products for transplantation on a patient, as well

as opinions and proposals on human cloning or animal and the development

of biotechnology.

it is highly recommended ongoing communication with

different research participants with different

understandings and different cultural contexts.

Thank you for your attention