Forced organ harvesting is an unethical and illegal yet highly profitable practice where organs are removed from non-consenting, healthy people and sold to patients for fast-tracked transplantation operations. Although illegal organ trafficking has occurred in several regions, it is only in China that it is government sanctioned and under military control, involving disenfranchised, vulnerable populations.
In response to growing concerns, five international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who understand this urgent problem have come together to call for an effective and immediate intervention by the international community to combat forced organ harvesting. With over 30 speakers and panelists, this six-day World Summit is unprecedented in both depth and scope.
The NGOs have called upon leading experts from the fields of medicine, law, government, and the news media to join the World Summit on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting. Their mission is to give voice to a global momentum that will inform the public, dispel complacency and inspire attendees and government leaders to act without delay.
For over two decades the Chinese Communist Party has mobilized its state apparatus to monetize the bodies of prisoners of conscience and those deemed undesirable by the state, making medical professionals complicit executioners. Second only to the United States in transplant volumes, China aspires to lead the world in transplant medicine and science.
Persecuted by the millions, religious Falun Gong prisoners of conscience are the largest group of prisoners of conscience in detention in China today and are the primary victims of forced organ harvesting and other medical abuses. Other religious, cultural and political prisoners, and Chinese citizens, are also reportedly killed for their organs.
Co-hosting organizations include:
Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH)
A non-profit organization founded by medical doctors in 2006, nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 and 2018, and honored with the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice in 2019. DAFOH provides the medical community and society with objective findings of unethical and illegal organ harvesting while promoting and protecting ethical standards to preserve human dignity.
Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience (CAP Freedom of Conscience)
A European NGO created in 1995, with United Nations Consultative Status, CAP is dedicated to protecting the Right of Freedom of Religion and Belief globally.
Taiwan Association for International Care of Organ Transplants (TAICOT)
A Taiwanese-based organization with the mission to end forced organ harvesting, TAICOT brings transparency to organ transplantation so that patients, their families, and donors will correctly understand the risk and medical safety issues involved in the process.
Korea Association for Ethical Organ Transplants (KAEOT)
An organization based in Korea that is an extension of the International Association for Ethical Organ Transplants (IAEOT), KAOT works with government leaders, NGOs, and local communities to raise awareness on issues related to forced organ harvesting.
Transplant Tourism Research Association (TTRA)
A Japanese-based educational organization designed to highlight unethical issues surrounding transplantation practices and promote legal action through various community-centered events.
