Yvonne Donders - The right to science as a legal concept in international law

FRIAS Lunch Lecture from 3 June 2020 with Prof. Dr. Yvonne Donders from the University of Amsterdam

The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, in short the right to science, is embedded in international law instruments, including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Core elements of the right to science are scientific freedom, the sharing of scientific output and outcome, and international cooperation.

The human right to science has great potential to enable science to contribute more effectively to major issues, including for instance the current Corona pandemic. However, the right to science so far remains a vague legal norm that does not inform major science policies and governance issues at national and international levels and gives no guidance to practicing scientists. Question is also to what extent international law, based on inter-State agreement, is a suitable means to develop norms relating to scientific progress.

More information on the FRIAS Lunch Lectures 2020: https://www.frias.uni-freiburg.de/de/veranstaltungen/lunch-lectures/former-lectures/science-and-society-in-a-postfactual-era-2020