On 28 September 2026, a joint session of the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee and the International Bioethics Committee, the 33rd session of the International Bioethics Committee, and the 14th extraordinary session of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) were held in a hybrid format.

Ayten Aghayeva, Senior Specialist of the Office of the Vice-Presidents of the Presidium of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biology of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and PhD in Biology, participated in the meetings on behalf of the National Committee of Azerbaijan.

As part of the events, a report on the activities of the Bioethics and Ethics of Science and Technology Programme was presented. The report provided information on the programme’s activities, implemented initiatives, and key areas of work.

A session dedicated to the ethical aspects of neurotechnology was then held. The session discussed the potential contribution of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology to the development of governance mechanisms and ethical frameworks in this field. Attention was also given to UNESCO’s support in assessing countries’ preparedness for the ethical development and application of neurotechnologies in accordance with ethical principles.

The next part of the sessions focused on the topic “The International Bioethics Committee Conceptual Document on Ageing and Longevity: Human Rights Issues in a Changing World”. The discussions addressed the ageing process in changing social contexts, factors negatively affecting the well-being of older persons, differences in ageing experiences among individuals, societies and cultures, as well as risk factors at the individual, social, environmental and systemic levels. An exchange of views was also held on the interrelationships between ageing and limited resources, ageing and longevity science and technologies, and the ethical issues arising in this area.

As part of the meetings, the document of the COMEST on generative artificial intelligence outputs and the concept of knowledge was also discussed. The session focused on the relationship between outputs generated by generative artificial intelligence and the concept of knowledge, as well as the ethical issues arising in this field.

The discussions emphasised the importance of aligning modern scientific and technological developments with human rights, ethical principles and the interests of society. The meetings concluded with final discussions and a review of the next areas of activity.