The “1st International Conference of the Jean Monnet European Insurance Law Module: Challenges in the Era of the SDGs” took place on the 13th and 14th of July 2023, in partnership with AIDA Portugal.
Coordinated by professors Margarida Lima Rego, Maria Elisabete Ramos and Marival Bolival Õnoro, the main objective of this annual conference is to create a forum where scholars, practitioners, non-governmental organizations, cooperative and social sector, and state agencies with an interest in insurance will meet and discuss topics that are of interest to all – with a focus on public policy recommendations on the role of insurance in fostering sustainable development goals.
It aims to contribute to the generation of knowledge and raise awareness as to the role of insurance for the equal enjoyment of human rights and the achievement of SDGs, in line with the core values of the European Union.
Specifically, this year’s conference was devoted to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. Several keynote speakers were heard on the topic in question, namely:
– Pedro Pita Barros, with his presentation regarding some data on the role of insurance in the healthcare sector.
–Abel Veiga Copo, with his presentation regarding the relationship between insurance, euthanasia and assisted suicide.
– Christina S. Ho, with her presentation regarding reinsurance as a human right.
PhD and Master students also presented their points of views regarding this topic, with a focus on the access to private health insurance by people with disabilities (Willbemis Jerez Rivero), the role of insurance in protecting life on land (Vítor Boaventura Xavier), and the adoption of measures to combat exclusion in healthcare provision by the insurance industry (Ana Sofia Pereira, Rita Calado and Ana Carolina Silva).
Lastly, two authors selected in the “Call for Papers” phase of this project were heard by the conference’s participants – namely, Elise Nicoleta Valcu and Bogdan Radu, with their paper “Legislative approaches relating to protection of consumers involved in legal relationships providing cross-border medical services. Improving access to health services, a goal for SDG 3”; and Anthony Novaes da Silva and Carlos Acosta Olivo, with their paper “SDG 3, legal and new technologies in life and health insurance”.
