From Internationally Renowned Scholars to Locally Cherished Student Artists: UNESCO Chair’s Atlanta Lecture Series

By Dominique Monlezun

Where will this century’s most pressing questions take you?

Atlanta_1This question propelled the UNESCO Chair’s launch of its first Atlanta lecture series this past September 3-6th, led by UNESCO Chairholder, Professor Alberto Garcia. From Atlanta’s oldest hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital, to Emory University’s Center for Ethics, to two local high schools, Prof. Garcia fostered a world-class whirlwind of forums.

The first day of the tour kicked off with St. Joseph’s, which following its founding in 1880 by the Sisters of Mercy to serve neglected patients, grew to become one of the top specialty-referral hospitals in Southeast America and teaching hospital affiliate of Emory University.

Over 50 physicians, allied health professionals, and volunteers crowded St. Joseph’s conference room for the lecture on what one hospital volunteer described as, “critical work that must continue for our patients.” Prof. Garcia presented the growingimplications of recent neuroscientific findings and practical ethical tools to betterunderstand the person and thus address growing challenges for patients’ health, identity, and safety.

“We need a realistic approach to human rights as fundamental goods of every person that we should recognize, respect and guarantee…because human dignity derives not primarily from the complexity of our biological structures, but from our condition of persons and subjects of rights,” Prof. Garcia concluded the Ethics Rounds.

The tour then surged into Emory University’s Center for Ethics where Prof. Garica taught a graduate course on human rights and multiculturalism, before plunging into the city’s heart with Emory’s Aquinas Center-sponsored businessperson luncheon, and finally culminating in the classrooms of 165 students at St. Pius X Catholic High School and 124 students at Pinecrest Academy.Atlanta_2

“This is what our UNESCO Chair is about,” noted the Chair’s U.S. Executive Director and Atlanta resident, Michael Gannon, “creating forums of dialogue with leading thought leaders ranging from corporate executives, to hospital ethics committee physicians to Emory-based Jewish, Catholic, and secular bioethicists to high school artists. By fostering the art of convergence and cooperation in global ethics, our scholars cross the globe uniting diverse communities on some of the most critical questions about man in the 21st century.”

Second UNESCO Chair Bioethics Art Competition Exhibit Opens in Hong Kong

By Michael Baggot

The Second Bioethics Art Competition of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights held its inauguration ceremony in Hong Kong at the Gallery by the Harbour of the Harbour City Shopping Mall on December 7, 2013.

“Through the universal language of art, our competition reaches not only those who study bioethics in the classroom, but all people” announced UNESCO Chair Director Alberto Garcia.

The 15 winning art pieces of the international competition were exhibited during the UNESCO Chair Bioethics, Multiculturalism and Religion Conference at Hong Kong Baptist University, before moving to the Harbour City Gallery.  The exhibition is slated for display in the New York United Nations Headquarters, Rome, Houston and Mexico City in 2014.

“These impressive works of art, if used as tools for teaching bioethics in Hong Kong, would contribute significantly toward the multi-disciplinary learning experience of students.” observed Dr. Vivian Taam Wong, one of the competition’s Hong Kong-based judges.

In 2012, artists were invited to “create an image, with respect for all cultures and religions that speaks to the impact of life sciences for present and future generations.”  In short, participants were given creative liberty to visually “illustrate love, compassion and care” in accord with articles 12 and 16 of the Universal Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights.

“The use of visual art, which transcends languages and ethnic as well as other traditions, remains a most effective platform for increasing communication and understanding among racial, religious and age groups.” added Dr. Lam Man Kit,  another Hong Kong-based judge.

The competition is fruit of the UNESCO Chair’s conviction that the mission of fostering the art of convergence and cooperation in global ethics is a universal mission that entails the participation of individuals from all backgrounds and professions.

“Drawing from so many cultures allows those who see the works to get a better understanding of how people in other places experience vulnerability, ask questions about life, express compassion, and challenge minds and medicine.” added American judge Dr. Colleen M. Gallager.

The competition was divided into the categories of Fine Arts, Photography and Student Art (ages 13-17), with a Best of Show and four other winning pieces for each category.  Artists from 18 different countries submitted work to an international panel of 10 judges.

An image of the winning works and a brief explanation of the piece from the respective artist can be seen on the competition’s official page.

In the category of Fine Arts, the Best of Show was Giovanni Gasparro, with Eric Carson, Andrea Colella, Carmelo Maria Carollo, Giacomo Rizzo as additional winners.  In the category of Photography, the Best of Show was Ben DeSoto, with Joni Kabana, Barbara Doran, Jerry Galea, Carlo Paluzzi as additional winners.  In the category of Student Art, the Best of Show was Ka Wun Cheung, with Eileen Hwang, John McCabe, Emma Meyler, Theresa Reed as additional winners.

According to article 12, “The importance of cultural diversity and pluralism should be given due regard. However, such considerations are not to be invoked to infringe upon human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms, nor upon the principles set out in this Declaration, nor to limit their scope.”

According to Article 16, “The impact of life sciences on future generations, including on their genetic constitution, should be given due regard.”

In 2011, the First Bioethics Art Competition Exhibit was unveiled in the UN Headquarters in New York City.  The competition received 225 submissions from 23 countries by 132 artists reflecting upon the need to “Respect Human Vulnerability, Personal Integrity, Cultural Diversity and Pluralism.”

Yvonne Denbina, Chair of the Bioethics Art Competition, explains that the competition originated from a conversation with UNESCO Chair Director Alberto Garcia and Chair Fellow Fr. Jospeh Tham, LC regarding the role of art in bioethical discourse.

“I thought that a competition focused on bioethics could be an activity that would appeal to many artists.  The challenge was to gather interested individuals, then to create a vision and a statement to inspire artists to reach into their own hearts.  From the heart of the artist would spring the images that would move and touch others, viewers of their creations.  This could be the way to link bioethics to art.” said Denbina.

Denbina is already working with her international staff to prepare the third Bioethics Art Competition and expects to incorporate an even wider range of artist medium, including film.

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International Conference on Religious Perspectives on Human Rights in Bioethics

December 3-5, 2013

Honk Kong

International Conference on Religious Perspectives on Human Rights in Bioethics

“The conference provided a broad platform for various religious approaches to the issue of human rights and to bioethics in general.  I was also impressed with the scholarship of my colleagues in Hong Kong.” noted Dr. Henk ten Have, Director of the Center for Healthcare Ethics at Duquesne University.

Publication

“Religious Perspectives on Bioethics and Human Rights”

Editors: Fr. Joseph Tham, Kai Man Kwan, Alberto García Gómez

Publisher: Springer

Year: 2017

Link: Springer.com

Religious Perspectives on Bioethics and Human Rights book presentation

Publication

Prospettive religiose sui diritti umani nella bioetica

Editors: Fr. Joseph Tham; Fernando Fabò; Alberto Maria Gambino…

Publisher: Studia Bioethica

Year: 2014

Link: Riviste UPRA

UNESCO Chair hosts Third International Conference on Bioethics, Multiculturalism and Religion in Hong Kong

view a video of the event here

by Michael Baggot

Doctors, lawyers, psychologists, philosophers and theologians from 7 religious traditions travelled from 13 different countries to participate in the Third UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights International Conference on Bioethics, Multiculturalism and Religion in Hong Kong from December 3-5.

“The conference provided a broad platform for various religious approaches to the issue of human rights and to bioethics in general.  I was also impressed with the scholarship of my colleagues in Hong Kong.” noted Dr. Henk ten Have, Director of the Center for Healthcare Ethics at Duquesne University.

Participants gathered in the Council Chamber of the Hong Kong Baptist University to discuss the relationship between universal human rights and cultural diversity in life sciences, in a city consciously chosen to host the event in light of its long tradition of cultural and religious pluralism.

The effort to discuss human rights in Hong Kong from a pluralistic perspective was a bold attempt to address a widespread concern that human rights talk, far from being the grounds for consensus, is actually a Western liberal imposition that does not respect the communitarian perspective of Eastern cultural and the duty-based perspectives of traditional religions.

“During the 2011 Rome workshop focused on the principle of vulnerability, it soon became clear that with so many different religious traditions, many conceptual problems were unresolved.  The East-West contrast was particularly strong with regard to human rights.  Many participants of the workshop find the human rights language too individualistic.” explained Hong Kong native Fr. Joseph Tham, LC coordinated the event.  He is also professor of Bioethics at Regina Apostolorum University in Rome, Italy and a fellow of the UNESCO Chair.

The various presentations and discussions were based on article 12 of the UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, which reads as follows: “The importance of cultural diversity and pluralism should be given due regard.  However, such considerations are not to be invoked to infringe upon human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms, nor upon the principles set out in this Declaration, nor to limit their scope.”

The sometimes passionate discussions were marked by candor, respect and intellectual rigor.  While attendees honestly confronted the differences among the diverse traditions, special attention was given to the common values that unite the various schools of thought.

“I am grateful to the organizers of this meeting and the preceding meetings in Jerusalem and Rome, where different religious positions can have a discussion and perhaps move closer to a unified rationale for human rights.” stated comparative theologian Dr. Bede Bidlack of St. Anselm College.

The international workshop is a concrete realization of the UNESCO Chair’s mission of “fostering the art of convergence and cooperation in global bioethics” through the creation of an international community of scholars.   More information regarding the Chair’s history, goals, objectives and areas of interest can be found at its official website www.unescobiochair.org.

After a general session on the historic development of global bioethics, the diverse group participated in seven sessions dedicated the understanding of human rights in the traditions of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.  A detailed list of the speakers can be read online.

“I learned, with great interest, that different religious traditions actually have an internal and on-going dialogue on the significance of religious teachings and narratives in relation to various concerns emerging in life sciences.” said Rev. Dr. Hans Ucko, former Program Executive in the Office on Interreligious Relations and Dialogue of the World Council of Churches.

Each session sought to promote dialogue among the various experts through a dynamic that included a half-hour presentation on human rights from an expert of the particular religious tradition, two brief prepared responses and an hour-long discussion open to any of the forty attendees.

A collection of the papers presented, revised in light of feedback received during the discussion periods, will be published in book form in 2014.

Shared meals and cultural visits allowed the stimulating discussions began in the Council Chamber to continue off campus grounds.  The collegial atmosphere of the event thus allowed attendees to form friendships across religious and cultural traditions.

During the workshop the participants visited Chi Lin Buddhist Temple and adjacent Rock garden where a Buddhist monk explained to the diverse group the cultural and religious significance of the site.

After the workshop, the attendees were given a guided tour of Hong Kong. After enjoying the renowned Tsim Sha Tsui harbour view, the group visited an exhibit of Chinese painting at the Museum of Art that featuring important works of traditional calligraphy, before taking a ferry across the harbour to the busy Central business district.  There, they walked up the world’s longest outdoor escalator to visit the Catholic Cathedral and the nearby Botanical Garden, before taking the world’s steepest tram to the Peak for a panoramic view of the city.

The Hong Kong conference follows two previous international workshops on “Bioethics, Multiculturalism and Religion” that were held in Jerusalem (2009) and Rome (2011).  The next conference is scheduled to occur November 10-13 2014 in Mexico City and will be hosted by the Anahuac University as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.

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