On Monday the 23^rd of January, the Ethics in Common Committee met for a plenary session. This first meeting of the year 2023 was the occasion to welcome four new members: Bernard Bret, geographer; Laurent Thévenot, sociologist; Paula Martinho Da Silva, lawyer; and Ricardo Serrão Santos, biologist. The fourteen members of the Committee, all French-speaking, represent different nationalities: Malian, Ivorian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swiss, Belgian and French.

During the meeting, the members of the Ethics in Common Committee focused once again on the current referral "Exploration, exploitation and preservation of unknown and sparsely populated environments". In addition, they discussed at length a question from a researcher posed via the online form: "What are the rights and duties for scientists and their institutions in the face of environmental emergency?” They were unable to come to a satisfactory conclusion on this subject. However, they deem the question important and the debate on the subject will be continued. They will publish their opinions and recommendations in the coming months, as a self-referral.

The next meeting of the Ethics Committee will be held on March the 20^th, 2023.

_{Illustration: Meeting of the Ethics in Common Committee on January the 23^rd, 2023 | Photo credit : INRAE}