What's BIO

"Many people believe that humanity lives in an era of decline. A global shadow of environmental threats shows the approaching dangers that jeopardize our very existence on this planet. Bios (life) has evolved for billions of years. As we are standing on the doorstep of a new millennium, we need to awaken our senses and appreciate this precious gift."

Prof. Agni Vlavianos-Arvanitis
President and Founder, Biopolitics International Organisation

In 1985, after having dedicated twenty years to teaching and research in biology, Professor Agni Vlavianos-Arvanitis founded the Biopolitics International Organisation (B.I.O.) to promote international cooperation and education for the environment. With Greece as its operating basis, B.I.O. has gained wide acclaim by scholars and decision-makers in 165 countries around the world, and has been granted special Consultative Status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Motivated by the feeling that humanity needs to move at a faster pace in order to prevent destruction and in strong belief that the future of humankind depends on groundbreaking reforms in education, Professor Vlavianos-Arvanitis launched, in 1990, the International University for the Bio-Environment. In 1992, she proposed the revival of the ancient ideal of cease-fire during the Olympic Games, and the award of Bios Prizes for excellence in environmental protection in all fields. Her proposal for cease-fire during the Olympic Games was adopted as a United Nations Resolution.

A graduate of Columbia University's Barnard College (B.A.), New York University (M.S.) and the University of Athens (Ph.D.), Professor Vlavianos-Arvanitis, worked as a researcher at the Museum of Natural History, in New York, at the University of California Berkeley, and at the University of Paris. She taught biology, biochemistry and human genetics at the Friends Seminary in New York, at the American Community Schools Academy in Athens, and at the University of Maryland. Her professional experience also includes the organisation of numerous international conferences, and the publication of over forty volumes of proceedings, hundreds of articles and monographs, and a plethora of textbooks and educational materials. Fluent in Greek, English, French and German, she is the author of poetry in Greek and English, which has been translated in French, Russian, Iranian and Japanese.

She is Visiting Professor of Bioethics at Panteion University, Athens, Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, Honorary Professor of St. Petersburg State Technological University for Plant Polymers, Doctor Honoris Causa of Mendeleyev University, Moscow, Active Member of the The Club of Rome, Founder and President of the Hellenic Chapter of the Club of Rome, Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Founding Member of the Middle East Division of Learning Without Borders, Member of the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO, the Balkan Political Club, the Brussels-EU Chapter of the Club of Rome, the International Bioethics Society, the Board of Trustees of the Uganda National Foundation for Research and Development, the Board of the Euro-Arab Cooperation Center, the International Board of the European Generation Foundation, the Scientific Committee of Greenaccord, the Academic Committee of the Regional Interdisciplinary Programme for Bioethics in Latin America, and the Advisory Board of the Journal of Cleaner Production. Moreover, she is Commissioner on The Global Commission to Fund the United Nations, Founding Member of the Balkan Academy of Sciences, New Culture and Sustainable Development, Co-Founder of the International Science Foundation, Scholarship Trustee for the Hellenic Canadian Association, Member of the International Academy of Ecology, Human and Nature Safety Sciences, Transparency International, the Hellenic Philosophical Society, the National Society of Greek Writers, and the Euro-American Women's Council. She has also served as Vice-President of the International Bioethics Society, Member of the Board of the Alliance for Environmental Education, Co-Founder and President of the Columbia University Alumni Association in Greece, President of the Greek Barnard Alumnae Association, Honorary President of the Association Members and Coordinator for the Mediterranean Region of the "Life in Space" project, and Vice President of the UNESCO-MAB Hellenic National Committee.

She has received many international distinctions, including: the 2004 Biopolicy Award by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; the election, along with Michael Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela and Maurice Strong as Honorary President for Life by the United Nations Association of Sri Lanka; the election as an International Patron of Global Co-operation for a Better World; the commemorative Gold Medal of Honour for outstanding achievements and dedication to personal and professional goals and the election as 1994 Woman of the Year by the American Biographical Institute; the nomination as "one of 5000 personalities of the world for service to science" by the International Biographical Roll of Honour; the inclusion in the World Who's Who Of Women; the Foremost Women of the Twentieth Century nomination by the Cambridge International Biographical Centre; the Europe 500 New Century Award by Baron's Who's Who USA; the Abdi Ipekci Peace and Friendship Prize; the Euro-Arab Co-operation Centre's Environmental Award; the Ain Shams University's Excellence Award; the Macedonian Prize by the Macedonian Prize Foundation; and the Peace Through Tourism Award by the World Association of Travel Agencies. In 1995, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a nomination renewed many times since.

What is B.I.O.?

The Biopolitics International Organisation (B.I.O.) is an non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in Athens, in 1985. Over the course of its history, B.I.O. has been promoting a shift from an anthropocentric to a biocentric system of values in society, in order to curb environmental destruction and place appreciation of the environment at the core of every human endeavour. With Greece as its operating basis, B.I.O. has gained international acclaim, and leading academics and decision-makers in 165 countries currently support its ideals and have dedicated their efforts to their world-wide propagation. B.I.O. has held numerous international conferences and symposia, paving the way for the development of new strategies to secure environmental protection as a primary societal aim.

In the global effort to save the environment and life on our planet, new models are seriously needed. B.I.O. focuses on a wider scope of environmental preservation – one which integrates the environment into all social and economic schemes – providing guidelines that will enrich environmental protection strategies with a view to the future. The concept of sustainability is expanding, but not enough. If a new vision – beyond sustainable development – is not immediately implemented, there is a danger of perpetuating and not eliminating the mistakes of the past. B.I.O. has been promoting this vision since 1985, and has developed series of proposals for the enhancement of environmental protection on a world-wide level.

To meet the challenges of the new millennium, education requires a radical shift away from intra-disciplinary entrenchment and into creative and thoughtful action for the development of the highest potential of each individual for the benefit of the world and future generations. In January 1990, B.I.O. launched the International University for the Bio-Environment (I.U.B.E.), with the goal to introduce essential reforms on all educational levels and promote new biocentric curricula in every academic field. The I.U.B.E. actions the B.I.O. belief that education is the key to enlightening students and teachers in all academic areas to become environmentally conscious and responsible world citizens. It is a truly "universal" initiative encompassing all educational levels set up with an ambitious but happening agenda to act as a catalyst, seeking to infuse institutions and their graduates with biocentric values and to encourage a deeper, internalised environmental awareness. It is seen as the means by which B.I.O. can vaccinate all existing institutions with a love of bios and impart this message to students and training professionals.

The I.U.B.E. offers bios-centred assistance to other universities and training centres internationally, and to all the disciplines taught within them, rather than traditional diplomas or awards. Fighting the trend towards over-specialisation, it seeks to open up all areas of study and training to an appreciation of life on our planet, and facilitates the implementation of multidisciplinary environmental concepts in education.

Our times are characterised by rapid scientific and technological progress, but also by serious threats to the environment. A bio-assessment of technology would allow for the positive dimensions of progress to prevail over destruction. In an effort to establish a diachronic search for values, B.I.O. launched an international Environmental Olympics campaign in 1992. This initiative has been widely supported by prominent politicians, academic institutions, UN organisations and members of the International Olympic Committee. The campaign emphasises the importance of bio-environmental preservation and proposes the world-wide acknowledgement of accomplishments in this field by special Bios Prizes, awarded on the occasion of the Olympic Games. Cease-fire during the Olympic Games is a major part of this initiative, and the respective B.I.O. proposal was adopted as a resolution by the UN General Assembly in 1993.

A large part of the current environmental crisis is due to the pursuit of short-term economic prosperity, therefore, the active participation of the business world is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of the aforementioned plans. B.I.O., focusing on environmental protection as a viable and profitable business strategy, has been actively promoting the sensitisation of the business world to the fact that economic and environmental profit can be achieved simultaneously and are not mutually exclusive. As a result, it is necessary to re-evaluate current business concepts, in order to ensure that the economic driving force directly contributes to the preservation and appreciation of bios and the environment.

Threats to the environment do not discriminate along national boundaries, ethnicity or religion. They can be resolved through multilateral co-operation and through bio-diplomacy , a global effort in defence of the environment. Peace can become a reality if the world acknowledges the value of co-operation in environmental protection and joins in bio-culture, a global appreciation of bios.

What is B.I.O.?

Goals of B.I.O.