Established in 1998, COMEST is an independent advisory body and forum for reflection that brings together experts from diverse regions and disciplines to examine the ethical challenges arising from advances in science and technology, as well as climate change and environmental pressures. Through its reports and recommendations, the Commission provides guidance to UNESCO and its Member States, researchers, policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders.
Professor Oguamanam brings internationally recognized expertise in intellectual property, Indigenous knowledge and global knowledge governance to the Commission. His research examines how intellectual property systems interact with Indigenous knowledge in contexts shaped by globalization, technological change and competing claims to justice and inclusiveness. He is the founder of ABS Canada, which promotes the ethical use of Indigenous knowledge and equitable benefit-sharing, while supporting Indigenous communities in shaping how their knowledge is accessed, governed and commercialized. He also holds the University Research Chair in Sustainable Bio-Innovation, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Global Knowledge Governance, is the co-founder and co-director of the Open African Innovation Research (OpenAIR) Network and is a member of three of the University of Ottawa’s centres of excellence – the Centre for Law, Technology and Society, the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics, and the Centre for Environmental Law and Global Sustainability.
At a time when biotechnology, artificial intelligence, data-driven innovation and environmental pressures are rapidly transforming how knowledge is created, valued and commercialized, Professor Oguamanam’s work explores how the innovation process can be inclusive of all stakeholders in knowledge production, while advancing in ways that don’t reproducing historical inequities. His research seeks to develop approaches to innovation and knowledge governance grounded in cultural and context sensitivity, dignity, reciprocity and self-determination. His 4-year appointment to COMEST will bring this perspective to international discussions about some of the most pressing ethical challenges at the intersection of science, technology and society.
Congratulations to Professor Oguamanam!