 |
|
Dr Khalid Abdulla al-Ali |
Set up in 1998, Comest is mandated to formulate ethical principles that could provide decision-makers with criteria that extend beyond purely economic considerations.
The announcement came at the 7th ordinary session of Comest held in Doha recently at the Qatar Science and Technology Park.
Dr al-Ali has been a member of Comest since 2006. He will preside over the commission for a two-year period as is expected of each elected bureau member.
As a Qatari national, Dr al-Ali’s presidency will bring more visibility and exposure to the commission’s role in the Gulf and Middle East region.
Dr al-Ali has a long resume of scientific scholarship and publication in the area of human genetics and bio-ethics. He is currently a member of the Arab Committee for Science and Biotechnology Ethics and heads the QU Institutional Review Board on research ethics compliance, and the Review Board at Shafallah Medical Genetic Centre in Doha.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr al-Ali said: “This comes at the time when Qatar is correspondingly developing its ethical standards and guidelines for scientific research and technology.
“As a Qatari and a member of Qatar University, I am quite sure that this will pave the way towards a better understanding of international ethics standards while considering the unique context of the Arab and Islamic world”.
Comest is composed of leading scholars from scientific, legal, philosophical, cultural and political disciplines from various regions of the world.