Founded in 2011 by Charles Debrovner, the Global Bioethics Initiative concentrates on raising awareness of bioethical issues at local, state, national, and international levels. The Initiative, a fully-independent, not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of New York, provides thoughtful, timely research and analysis of bioethical issues facing the national and international community.


Charles Debrovner

Our Issues…

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements define in various ways the normative state of global ethics. Many issues, however, have been widely addressed but remain intensely debated. Pertinent questions of interest to the Initiative include:

  • Is there anything morally objectionable about nuclear transfer technology or cloning for reproductive or research purposes? In sentient animals? In humans?
  • How are sectarian religious views in the U.S., the Vatican, and elsewhere driving global family planning policy and aid? HIV-AIDS research?
  • Who owns bio-scientific knowledge? Can the international community negotiate norms of intellectual property that strike the appropriate balance between commercial interests in copyrighting and controlling medical and bio-scientific data and the compelling public interest in free and open access?
  • What is the appropriate posture of the national and international health community towards practices such as female genital mutilation, medical witchcraft?
  • What are the empirically substantiated risks and benefits of genetically modified foods? Are Northern environmentalist fears of pesticides undermining the fight against malaria and other infectious diseases in the South? Is Europe in the grip of an irrational bio-Luddism?

Our Activities…

  • An advisory board of scientists, physicians, and policy experts consults with Initiative staff to stimulate research, draft position papers, and network with other kindred individuals and institutions.
  • Initiative experts participate in deliberation at all relevant UN and ECOSOC conferences and meetings.
  • The Initiative organizes periodic workshops, panel discussions, and conferences to facilitate public understanding of current bioethical issues. For information about events click here.

The Initiative helps inform local, state, national and international policy debates about global issues in medical and biotechnological sciences through collaboration with NGOs and UN departments, bodies and agencies. The Initiative also sponsors scholarly endeavors dedicated to preventive medicine and seeks partnerships with health care professionals and other NGOs to provide educational venues and opportunities for confronting various medical issues facing developed and developing world countries.

The Initiative carries out its mission by providing a forum for convening scholars, government and international organization officials, health care professionals, and community leaders to develop innovative solutions to global problems, including:

  • organ and human trafficking
  • end-of-life care and decision-making
  • reproductive and sexual rights
  • stem cell research and therapeutic applications
  • neuroscience and mental health
  • infectious diseases and human epidemics
  • genetically engineered food
  • research ethics
  • perspectives on aging, among others

The Initiative leverages the knowledge and experience of experts and other professionals in government, academia, and private industry as well as its own Advisory Board.

Our Goals…

  • To provide members of the national and international community with timely and accessible analysis of bioethical issues from a perspective guided by science, evidence, and humanist values.
  • To consider the impact of current debates on various ethical issues with global impact and suggest useful approaches to their resolution when possible.
  • To examine future implications of current trends in bioethics.

With offices at 777 UN Plaza, overlooking the United Nations headquarters in New York City, the Initiative is a fully-independent, not-for-profit organization.