1. 20th anniversary of the Oviedo Convention Relevance and Challenges
Objectives of the Conference

2. Celebrating 20 years of the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo Convention)
10th anniversary: impact and reference value
Confirmation of impact on legislation and practices
Oviedo Convention: Reference instrument a national, European and international level
20th anniversary: prospective approach
With regard to developments in the fields concerned
Relevance of principles laid down in the Convention
Possible challenges
Pointing for possible actions to be undertaken at intergovernmental level
     
Notes: importance and relevance of the protection of human rights at a time where scientific and technological developments are dramatically  increasing the possibilities to act on human body and life at a pace never reached so far and with new driving forces;

3. Programme of the Conference
Defined on the basis of the replies to a questionnaire addressed to delegations of the members states, relevant national and international bodies/institutions
on the basis of the ethical and legal challenges they raised:
key scientific and technological developments in the biomedical field since the adoption of the Oviedo Convention (1997), (e.g. whole genome sequencing, big data)
key evolution of practices (e.g. “erosion” of respect for informed consent and for privacy)
Programme reflects the developments/evolutions most frequently raised in the replies
Session II: evolution of practices
Session III: scientific and technological developments
All the replies will remain a resource for the Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO)
Notes: To thank those having replied for their contribution

4. Preparatory work
High level seminar on « International case law in bioethics: insight and foresight », 5 December 2016
Study on “The rights of Children in biomedicine: challenges posed by scientific advances and uncertainties”, prepared by researchers form Uppsala University Department of Law (Sweden)
Study "From law to practice: towards a roadmap to strengthen children's rights in the era of biomedicine", prepared by researchers from Leiden University Law School (the Netherlands).
Notes:
the main outcome of the seminar will be presented by Mr Hans-jörg Behrens, Vice chair of the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH)
The authors of the two studies will speak about their findings concerning consent and privacy in relation to children rights.
The studies and the rpoceedingq of the seminar are available on the website of the COE

5. Objectives of the conference
Sessions objectives
To highlight the key developments in the biomedical field
To identify the relevant principles laid down in the Oviedo Convention
To identify possible challenges raised
To point possible needs for actions
General objective:
Priority issues and action proposals to address, at intergovernmental level, the ethical challenges identified during the thematic sessions of the conference
Paving the way for the definition of a Strategic Action Plan for the Council of Europe, where appropriate in cooperation with other intergovernmental organisations .  
Notes:. The aim of the Conference is not to provide an in depth analysis of biomedical developments in the last 20 years, but rather to identify the ethical challenges posed by such developments and to formulate possible avenue(s) for action to address them.