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.

Since 2016, the Declaration of Taipei on Ethical Considerations regarding Health Databases and Biobanks has complemented the Declaration of Helsinki.

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

• German translated by the German Medical Association
• Japanese translated by the Japan Medical Association
• Portuguese translated by the Associação Médica Brasileira
• 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 purpose only.

• 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