Minister of Cultural Affairs, Anne Enger Lahnstein

UNESCO - World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology

Oslo, 30. April 1999

Director General
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

As Minister of Cultural Affairs with responsibility for UNESCO affairs in Norway, it is a great pleasure for me to address the new world commission at the closing of its first session.

In almost every field of modern society, science and technology play an important role. But many people today are concerned about the development of science. New and difficult questions are being raised. Therefore, it is essential that we do not underestimate the ethical dimension, and that we always keep it in mind. But observation is not enough. We must also be willing to change the course of development, if necessary.

It is highly appropriate and commendable that UNESCO has taken the initiative to appoint this commission. The theme is well suited for an international group, because science itself is international. So are many of the ethical issues. I believe that our efforts to find solutions to the difficult problems ahead will benefit from this commission. It means that our discussions will get valuable input from people with a varied background, representing all continents. Hopefully, this will add new possibilities and dimensions to the national committee structure that we find in many of our countries.

The Commission has a wide mandate, and the task may seem difficult. But we have seen earlier that a world commission can bring about profound changes, both on the political agenda and in people’s attitude to the development of our society. I am thinking of course of the Brundtland commission, which was one of the starting points of a whole new way of thinking about our environment.

There is also a link between the two commissions. The term ”sustainable development”, coined by the Brundtland commission, is an important one. But it can only be put into practice if we are aware of the difficulties involved. These difficulties are often of an ethical nature. One of the challenges is probably to agree on common goals. What kind of technology will bring about higher production and a healthy environment ? If we can agree on such questions, we have come a long way.

In this session, a few key questions have been singled out for further scrutiny. The main topics have been the ethics of energy and of fresh water resources, but there have also been fruitful discussions on the rights and freedoms of scientists and on ethics in relation to the information society. These are topics of the utmost importance to the development of our society in a number of ways, both within our different countries and in our international relations. One of the challenges that lies ahead of you, will be to start a debate on these issues in your country, or to encourage it, if it is already taking place. Another challenge will be to turn the attention of decision-makers to these issues.

To be able to fulfil this task, you must be on the look-out for risk situations and for ways to handle them. UNESCO has chosen a clear and very symbolic logo for the commission : an eye with the globe as its pupil. I take this to mean that you will keep an eye on science and technology, scientists and politicians, all over the world, - this is a great task indeed !

We have great expectations to the work of the commission, as its mandate and tasks are central to Norwegian concerns. UNESCO as an arena for global dialogue and discourse is important to Norway. This is why we have taken great interest in the setting up of this commission and invited you here to its first session.

Norway will follow the future work of the world commission with interest and attention, hopefully also from a position on the Board of the organisation for the coming four years. I am pleased to take this opportunity to bring to your attention that the Norwegian government has decided to present its candidature for election to the Executive Board of UNESCO at the General Conference this autumn.

I should like to conclude with the hope that the world commission will serve as an important instrument in an international dialogue on ethical issues. This first session has shown that scientists, decision-makers as well as the general public are willing to start discussing these questions . You have all contributed greatly to the success of this meeting, and I wish you the best of luck in the work that lies ahead.