The recent application of tools to edit the human genome with the intention of treating or preventing disease and the gaps in the scientific understanding, in addition to some of the proposed applications of human genome editing, raise ethical issues that have highlighted the need for robust oversight in this area.

In December 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) established a global, multidisciplinary expert advisory committee (the Expert Advisory Committee on Developing Global Standards for Governance and Oversight of Human Genome Editing) to examine the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges associated with human genome editing (somatic, germline and heritable).

The Committee produced a series of recommendations on appropriate institutional, national, regional and global governance mechanisms for human genome editing in nine areas that have been published in July 2021 and are available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240030381