The 24th Asian Bioethics Conference was successfully held from 5–7 February 2026 at the State University of Bangladesh (SUB). Organized under the theme “Bioethics in Building Nation-States,” the three-day international gathering brought together leading voices in ethics, research, policy, and academia to explore how bioethics can guide sustainable and just nation-building processes.
The conference was jointly hosted by the Bangladesh Bioethics Society (BBS) and the Asian Bioethics Association (ABA), in collaboration with SUB and the UBIOS Ethics Institute (New Zealand, Japan, and Thailand). Nearly 200 participants attended the event, including 13 international delegates, along with policymakers, researchers, physicians, environmentalists, academics, and students from across disciplines.
The opening ceremony on 5 February was graced by the Honorable Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, as the Chief Guest. Her presence underscored the growing importance of integrating ethical considerations into environmental governance and national policy frameworks.
Among the distinguished Special Guests were Darryl Macer, Founder and President of the American University of Sovereign Nations, USA, and Secretary of the Asian Bioethics Association; Akhtar Hossain Khan, Vice-Chancellor of SUB; and Sayeba Akhter, Chairman of the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC). Notably, Dr. Macer is also a valued member of VAALO’s Leadership and Advisory as well as Thought Binders, reflecting the organization’s strong engagement within global bioethics networks.
VAALO avant-garde Ltd. was proudly represented at the conference by its Founder and Managing Director, Dr. Nazneen Akhter, an honorable life member of the Bangladesh Bioethics Society. She actively participated in discussion sessions, contributing insights to deliberations on diverse research findings presented during the conference.
The VAALO team also included Umme Suriea, Manager (Program and Research); Nagbee Al Zannat, Sr. Associate (Program and Research); and Mahdyea Zaman, Associate (Legal & Research). Their participation reflects VAALO’s continued commitment to strengthening ethical frameworks within research, policy, and program implementation.
The conference served as a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange and collaborative reflection, reaffirming that bioethics is not merely an academic discourse but a foundational pillar for inclusive, sustainable, and accountable nation-building. VAALO remains committed to contributing to this evolving conversation through research, policy engagement, and transformative practice.
