Deadline- Ongoing
Genetic science is advancing at an astounding pace: the cost of sequencing an individual genome has dropped dramatically in the last decade. These advances bring both the promise of benefits, as well as new threats to open society. A case in point is the explosive growth of forensic DNA databases across the world, which is taking place with little public debate or oversight.
The Information Program is beginning a program of work to protect the basic rights of individuals and vulnerable populations affected by the proliferation of genetic technologies. Building on its experience in the intellectual property area, it will also promote a governance regime for genetic information that supports open society values.
The Information Program will support capacity building and networking of civil society to enable more effective engagement with governments as they set out to develop DNA forensic databases and arrange for cross-border sharing of genetic data. We are interested in facilitating the development of a human rights compliant standard for forensic DNA databases. And we believe it is critical to explore better oversight mechanisms for forensic laboratories and best practice for handling the analysis of DNA.
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