The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a new five-year strategic action plan, presented by the Committee on Bioethics, on human rights and technologies in biomedicine. The action plan, “Protecting human rights in biomedicine: A new Human Rights and Technologies Action Plan (2020-2025)”, is designed to protect human dignity, human rights and individual freedoms with regard to the application of biology and medicine.
It is divided into three main strands:
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Governance of technology - to embed human rights in the development of technologies which have an application in biomedicine.
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Equity in health care - to promote equitable access to innovative treatments and appropriate technologies, including a guide to health literacy for older persons.
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Specific measures in relation to physical and mental integrity.
On the third strand, there is a proposal for a legal instrument to protect the human rights and dignity of persons with mental disorders with regard to involuntary placement and/or involuntary treatment, alongside a compendium of good practice. You can read the new strategic plan here: https://rm.coe.int/strategic-action-plan-final-e/16809c3af1
