International

Bioethics is global by its nature, and the development and application of biomedical research is international in its reach. As an independent bioethics body, we need to be cognisant of global drivers, systems and values in order to effectively embed ethics into policy at a national level – and beyond.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is an active and well-respected member of the international bioethics community, with close links to other ethics bodies abroad, especially those in the European Union. Our Council members and Executive team participate in a wide range of meetings and activities globally to build connections and maximise impact.

In 2024, we launched our Making Ethics Matter strategy, confirming our commitment to strengthening the voice of ethics in biomedicine and health policy in the UK and internationally. As part of this, we have been striving to participate in knowledge exchange with our international colleagues to share ideas and approaches, become more aware of each other’s strategic priorities, and build partnerships to work together on the analysis of specific topics.

This year, we commissioned a piece of mapping work to identify bioethics organisations and networks that seek to influence policy, and to better understand the connections between them. As well as conducting 1-1 interviews with international bioethics counterparts, On 7 November 2025, we convened a roundtable to bring together a group of experts from a range of bioethics institutions worldwide. The objective of the roundtable was to explore how we might best work together to align our priorities and effectively embed ethical consideration into policy development for global influence and impact. A summary paper can be found here.

International networks

NCOB representatives work closely with a number of international organisations involved in bioethics, including:

• WHO Ethics and Health programme
• UNESCO bioethics programme
• Global Summit of National Bioethics Advisory Bodies 
• European Commission’s annual Forum of National Ethics Councils 

The Council also meets the French and German National Bioethics Commissions on an annual basis to discuss bioethics topics of mutual interest and share best practice.