International Networking
The European Conference of National Ethics Committees (COMETH) is composed of representatives of national ethics committees (or equivalent bodies) in Member States of the Council of Europe. The purpose of the Conference is to promote co-operation between national ethics committees, help countries wishing to set up a national ethics committee and to promote public debate on ethical issues raised by progress in the fields of biology, medicine and public health. COMETH holds biennial meetings.
The Global Summit of National Bioethics Advisory Bodies brings together every two year representatives of official bodies that provide advice about bioethics. In November 1996, the then-existing national bioethics commissions met at a two-day "International Summit" in San Francisco, California, USA, at the invitation of the U.S. "National Bioethics Advisory Commission" and the French "Comité Consultatif National d'Ethique pour les Sciences de la Vie et de la Santé". Subsequent meetings of the Global Summit of National Bioethics Advisory Bodies, with ever-larger numbers of national committees and international organizations represented, were held in:
- Tokyo: 3-4 November 1998
- London: 20-21 September 2000
- Brasilia: 3-4 November 2002
- Canberra: 7-8 November 2004
- Beijing: 4-5 August 2006