rsenjen's blog

I was recently invited and attended an expert meeting on nanotechnology and ethics hosted by the UNESCO, Division of Ethics and Science and Technology in Paris (Nov 16/17th 2006). I was the only NGO representative amongst twenty invited 'experts'. Other participants included representatives of the Japanese, US, French, Dutch and EU governments, OECD and ISO representatives, as well as a selection of academics from Hungary, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Qatar and the UK. The purpose of the 2-day meeting was to comment on a draft of a policy advice on nanotechnology and ethics to UNESCO's World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific and Technical Knowledge (COMEST). You can read FoEA's comments on the draft paper here.

In early July 2006 I was invited and journeyed as the FOE Australia Nanotechnology Projects representative to Zurich to participate in the International Risk Governance Council Conference on Nanotechnology. The purpose of the conference was for the invited speakers and conference participants to comment on the IRCG whitepaper on ‘Nanotechnology Risk Governance’

 The IRGC is an interesting beast, its focus ‘is to help improve the anticipation and governance of global, systemic risks.’ Its main backers are the Swiss, US and Chinese (!) Government, Swiss Re, Allianz, E.ON Energie, ATEL and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

By Rye Senjen 27/4/06

A funny thing happened yesterday.... I was having lunch at home and the phone rings: ring ring... my friend Anna called (not her real name), on her mobile no less. She was in a shop trying to buy some face cream.

"Did I perhaps know wether the xyz brand contained those nano particles I always talked about, you know the ones that caused brain cancer in fish or whatever"