Declaration of Helsinki

The Declaration of Helsinki (DoH) is the World Medical Association’s (WMA) best-known policy statement. The first version was adopted in 1964 and has been amended seven times since, most recently at the General Assembly in October 2013. The current (2013) version is the only official one; all previous versions* have been replaced and should not be used or cited except for historical purposes. The WMA would like to thank all those who submitted comments and suggestions for the most recent revision of the DoH.

In 2014, the WMA produced a celebratory publication to mark the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Helsinki. “The World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: 1964-2014 50 Years of Evolution of Medical Research Ethics” can be ordered online here.

At the WMA Council meeting in April 2022, a workgroup was established to begin another revision of this important document. The American Medical Association (AMA) is leading this process.

The revision process is designed to be collaborative, transparent, and inclusive. The workgroup’s efforts are informed by regional and topical meetings spread over two years, where issues are discussed by local and international experts and engaged audiences with diverse opinions. Resulting edits to the principles proposed by the workgroup are ultimately circulated worldwide for public comment periods for feedback.

The regional expert meetings are the following:

• Asian region in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 9-11 December
• Latin American region in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 24-25 February 2023.
• Copenhagen, Denmark on 21-22 September 2023
• Tokyo Japan, from 30 November to 1 December 2023
• The Vatican City on Research in resource-poor settings, from 18 to 19 January 2024
• Johannesburg, South Africa, from 18 to 19 February 2024
• Munich, Germany, from 14 to 15 May 2024 on the Research with vulnerable people
• Washington DC, United States, from 15 to 16 August 2024, as a final expert meeting on advocacy and communication

In order to maximize input by all stakeholders and the public, we provided two separate public comment periods. A phase 1 public comment period was held in February 2024 to address issues from the first few regional meetings, and a phase 2 comment period was open from 3 to 24 June 2024, to cover additional topics that have been addressed.

Consideration for Adoption: General Assembly Meeting Helsinki, Finland

The workgroup intends to recommend a final updated draft of the Declaration of Helsinki to the Medical Ethics Committee of the World Medical Association, and the document is intended to be considered by the Council and the General Assembly in Helsinki, Finland in October 2024.

*Translations in languages other than the WMA official languages (English/Spanish/French) are available below:

• Finnish translated by the Finnish Medical Association
• German translated by the German Medical Association
• Japanese translated by the Japan Medical Association
• Portuguese version
• Czech translated by the Czech Medical Association
• Hungarian translated by the Center for Ethics and Law in Biomedicine, Hungary

*Previous archived versions below are for research and information purpose only, use the updated version as reference.

• Declaration of Helsinki – Version 1964
• Declaration of Helsinki – Version 1975
• Declaration of Helsinki – Version 1983
• Declaration of Helsinki – Version 1989
• Declaration of Helsinki – Version 1996
• Declaration of Helsinki – Version 2000
• Declaration of Helsinki – Version 2004
• Declaration of Helsinki – Version 2008