BBS organized two workshops over the last three months.

This review examines the critical role of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in facilitating ethical climate change and health research in Bangladesh, a nation highly vulnerable to climate-sensitive diseases. The inadequacy of reliable health impact data, coupled with disparities in public perception of climate change risks influenced by socioeconomic factors, underscores the urgency for ethically sound research. This study systematically reviewed peer-reviewed journals, conference papers, institutional reports, and policy documents published within the last decade, focusing on ethical challenges in climate studies and the function of IRBs. Thematic analysis revealed key areas: the paramount importance of research ethics (including informed consent and privacy), the multifaceted impacts of climate change and adaptation strategies, the complexities and challenges faced by IRBs (especially in developing countries), the critical consideration of vulnerability in research participants, the issue of corruption in adaptation efforts, and the necessity of effective stakeholder engagement. The findings emphasize the interconnectedness of ethical principles, climate change challenges, and institutional responsibilities, advocating for interdisciplinary approaches. The review concludes by highlighting the need to strengthen the capacity of Ethical Review Committees, promote stakeholder engagement, integrate ethics into climate change policies, prioritize addressing vulnerability, and enhance institutional integrity to ensure equitable and sustainable solutions in Bangladesh.

Climate change has emerged as a significant threat to global development, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh. This paper explores the complex relationships between climate change and vulnerability, highlighting how geographical exposure, socioeconomic conditions, and gender disparities increase the susceptibility to climate-induced hazards such as floods, cyclones, and salinity intrusion. Vulnerability is not steadfast in the environmental factors, but it is deeply influenced by poverty, limited access to resources, and systematic inequalities. Discussion emphasizes the gender nature of vulnerability, with women facing additional barriers to adaptation due to traditional roles and social constraints. Institutional policy responses are viewed, underscoring the need for inclusive governance, education, and long-term financial support. The study recommends a holistic and equity-focused approach to climate adaptation that prioritizes empowerment, gender inclusion, and localized solutions. Strengthening institutional capacity, increasing climate finance, and integrating climate into education and policy frameworks are vital to sustainable adaptation.

The ethics committee (EC) promotes ethical evaluation of biomedical research to safeguard and well-being of all potential research participants. Assessment of research protocol, patient information leaflet, informed consent form, questionnaire, and any other supporting documents is a moral and legal obligation to EC. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), to be a member of EC requires a basic certification. However, this practice is uncertain in Bangladesh. This short communication highlights how EC members learn research ethics.

Many discussions have been held on the impact of climate change, infrastructure development, and minimizing the displacement and resilience in developing countries, including Bangladesh. Climate change is one of the risk factors for vulnerability. Nonetheless, the role of the IRB (Institutional Review Board) regarding climate change issues during protocol review is lacking. Currently, the Bangladesh Bioethics Society (BBS) has organized workshops on the IRB on climate change in health research. This initiatives represent a new episode in Bangladesh. This article highlights information about the current awareness programme that may be of interest to readers and policy guidelines. The perceptions and expectations of IRB members regarding workshops were captured through qualitative assessment to improve future workshops on climate change.

Introduction: Climate change is a global environmental threat that affects societies involuntarily, making it one of the greatest health inequities present days. Now a day, Research is concentrated on understanding the extensive consequences of climate change on health and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to adjust and alleviate these effects. Special ethical consideration and actions is required in this occasion to address additional ethical questions and concerns than the conventional one. The Institutional Ethical Review Board (IERB) is vital in maintaining ethical standards in research by safeguarding the rights, safety, and well-being of participants. They evaluate research protocols, examine potential risks and benefits, and offer researchers advice on ethical matters and adherence to regulations either by modification/update or continuing review of the protocol. Purpose: Find out the gap and solution between climate change, health research and ethics. Focus: IERB could play a pivotal role to fill this gap by facilitating policy makers about increase awareness of the importance of ethics in this regard, possessing action guide for the health practitioners that reflecting good ethical practice during research and incorporating IERB.

Asian Bioethics Conference (ABC20) was held on 22-25 Nov. 2019 at DGHS (Directorate General of Health Services) auditorium, Mohakhali and NEC (National Election Commission) Auditorium, Agargoan, Dhaka. Conference was organized by Bangladesh Bioethics Society (BBS) in cooperation with DGHS, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,; Social Science Research Council Bangladesh, the Ministry of Planning; Bangladesh Medical Research Council, Mohakhali Dhaka; Asian Bioethics Association (ABA) and Eubios Ethics Institute, Thailand, New Zealand’s and Japan. Mr MA Mannan MP, Honorable Planning Minister, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was the Chief Guest. Dr. Md. Murad Hassan MP, Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Information, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was present as Special Guest. Md. Nurul Amin, Secretary, Planning Division, Ministry of Planning and Dr Iqbal Kabir, Director, Planning, Monitoring, & Research and Coordinator, DGHS were also present as Special Guests. Acknowledgement: We acknowledge our gratitude to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of People Republic of Bangladesh to publish the news of 20 Asian Bioethics Conference in the Policy Brief. We also express our thanks to DGHS for their cooperation and collaboration during the Conference.

In the West, in countries such as the US and UK, people are equally encouraged to donate organs both to their relatives and nonrelatives. In practice, although family is the priority in the US and UK, anybody can donate organs to anyone else lawfully. Contrastingly, in Bangladesh, people are only legally allowed to donate organs for transplantation to close relatives. Bangladesh’s living organ transplantation policy and practice is in stark contrast with the Western secular biomedical perspective. In this artcile, I address that the notion of individual freedom and liberty in regard to the donation of organs for transplantation in the West is consistent with secular culture and biomedical perspectives, but such biomedical policy and practice is at odds with the Bangladeshi Muslim culture, socio-economic reality and biomedical perspective. As Bangladesh is a family-oriented collective society, the kinship relation and strong familial bonds may encourage relatives into donating organs to a patient. More than 20% of people still live below the poverty line, and the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed poor people into extreme poverty. The practice of allowing unrelated altruistic donors as is done in the West and Iran, or even in the special circumstance in Paksitan, the act of donating organs will comprehensievly increase organ trade in Bangladesh, which in turn will cause more harms than benefits. This study conludes that the government should uphold family-oriented biomedical policy and practice in Bangladesh until poverty is eliminated. It implies that patients who do not have close relatives, or whose poetntial relative donors are medically unsuitable for transplantations should wait for deceased organs for transplantation.

Environmental ethics is the subject in philosophy that examines the moral relationship of human beings to the environment and its non-human species. It concerns human’s ethical relationship with the natural environment. The central question concerning environmental ethics is essentially – what is human being’s moral obligation concerning the natural environment? The paper will firstly provide a review of the ethical relations of humans and the environment, secondly examine how value-based education can assist in inculcating environmental ethics among learners.

With the increasing number of human disasters in recent years, disaster service workers are faced with an ever-growing challenge of criticism concerning their professional competence. The workers also realize the limitation inherent in their practice, as well as bioethics problems regarding autonomy and heteronomy. Therefore, professionals and researchers of human service devote to the issue of post-disaster rehabilitation of the people so as to identify an effective way and practice to aid the post-disaster individual, family and community. This study explores the effectiveness of rehabilitative function of disaster service workers through the action research of Typhoon Morakot and the 2014 Gas Explosion in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. The case studies serve as a platform for the discussion of principles of bioethics and the analysis of the process of self-discipline of the workers of human services in hope of ultimately establishing bioethical principles for heteronomy during disasters and work indicators for post-disaster community restoration. Discuss Issues are 1. How can self- discipline in bioethics be achieved for the human service workers during times of disaster? 2. In post-disaster reconstruction, how does the human service worker take into account bioethical principles to serve and partake in the restoration of the post- disaster life of community residents? 3.During the process of disaster research, what are the bioethical considerations to be taken into for the test subjects? Conclusion and suggestions are to formulate indicators for a post-disaster “community of health and wellness;” to establish bioethical principles of heteronomy for disaster service workers.