The Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science (CFRS) regularly issues statements and advisory notes as part of its work to uphold and protect the freedoms that scientists should enjoy, and the responsibilities they carry while engaging in scientific practice.
In the menus below, explore statements of the Committee and publications resulting from its recent projects, as well as external resources and reference material from the Committee’s partners and networks around the world.
Statements and other publications by the Committee:
- Statement on concerns for scientists in Iran (issued 18 March 2022)
- Statement on the case of Greek economist and statistician Dr. Andreas Georgiou (issued 24 August 2021)
- Statement on the occasion of the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (issued 9 August 2021)
- Statement on protecting scientific freedoms to combat the COVID-19 pandemic (issued 2 June 2021)
- Advisory note: Procedures for addressing threats to scientific freedom (issued May 2021)
- ISC position on conference and event boycotts (issued May 2021)
- ISC position on visas and online accessibility (issued May 2021)
- Statement on protecting human rights and scientific freedom in Myanmar (issued 6 April 2021).
- Statement on detention and capital sentence of Ahmadreza Djalali (issued 8 December 2020).
- Statement on Scientific Freedom in Japan (issued 26 November 2020).
- Statement calling for the release of researchers associated with the Persian Heritage Wildlife Foundation currently detained in Iran (issued 26 August 2020).
- Ethical responsibilities of scientists at a time of a global threat (issued 15 June 2020).
- Advisory note: Responsibilities for Preventing, Avoiding, and Mitigating Harm to Researchers Undertaking Fieldwork in Risky Settings.
Reference material on scientific freedoms and responsibilities:
- Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author”.
- UNESCO Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers.
- Declaration of the 9th World Science Forum 2019, Science, Ethics and Responsibility.
- AAAS Statement on Scientific Freedom & Responsibility (see also the related Report in Science).
- Article in the Times Higher Education supplement on new UK guidelines to tackle ‘complacency’ about overseas research.
- Resources from The International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies.
Project publications:
Find out more about the Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science (CFRS).
Header image: Detail from photo by Robynne Hu on Unsplash.
