Editorial: Thanks for ABC5/TRT9

-Darryl Macer, Ph.D.
Director, Eubios Ethics Institute
Affiliated Professor, United Nations University
Email: asianbioethics@yahoo.co.nz

Email: asianbioethics@yahoo.co.nz

Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 14 (2004), 1.

From 12-16 Feb., 2004, the Fifth Asian Bioethics Conference (ABC5) convened in Tsukuba, together with TRT9. Over 150 participants from all around the world participated in intense and lengthy debates with the 110 papers to be published soon in the proceedings volume that I will edit. The preparation for months and the intensity of the meeting has taken a toll upon my energy, and also was the reason for postponing publication of this issue of EJAIB until after the conference. The visitors to Tsukuba have sent many messages and enjoyed the meeting. Next year ABC6 will be held in Turkey, and there will not be any TRT meeting in Tsukuba next year.

I wish to thank all those who came from many parts of the world and all those who helped make this conference a success. In a week the final abstract book will be placed on the website. There were changes as people sent in abstracts, and as flights were delayed and changed. The meeting brought collaborators on three open bioethics projects together. These include the behaviourome project; bioethics education materials and methods and the first meeting of an International Bioethics Education Network designed especially for teachers; and a UNU project on identifying priority areas in global bioethics. These projects are all open to those who wish to join, in the spirit of open access and working together. Overall the conference was useful for capacity building and networking for many persons on their own research projects and forming liaisons which will bear fruit for bioethics around the world. We hope it has some impact to make a good life for more persons faced with the issues of science and technology.

There will also be a report from the ABA general meeting in the next issue. It was held on 14 February, and many attended. The latest ABA membership list is printed in this issue, as a reminder to those who wish to renew. There are many persons whose names are not printed there because they still did not renew from 2002. Those who wish to join for 2004 do not need to pay fees for past years. Finally thanks for the authors for the papers in this issue, including many ABA board members, and two papers on the behaviourome project.

- D.M.

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