The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology (document code SHS/BIO/REC-NEURO/2025) at its 43rd session, held from October 30 to November 13, 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the first General Conference held away from Paris since 1985. UNESCO states that the Recommendation entered into force on November 12, 2025.
The Recommendation is the first global standard-setting framework on the ethics of neurotechnology, backed by UNESCO's 194 Member States. It sets out shared values and principles, identifies ethical challenges, and prescribes concrete policy actions for Member States, with particular attention to mental privacy and the protection of neural data, aiming to ensure that neurotechnology improves lives without compromising human rights.