Theme 3: Ethics of research partnerships in humanitarian and emergency contexts

Statement of focus 

The overall aim of the conference is to explore the ethical questions that arise in research partnerships in global health. The starting point is a concern that whilst such partnerships are necessary for scientific progress they are often in practice unfair. The aim is to reimagine effective research partnerships with a focus on equity, power and resilience. There are many challenges to achieving sustainable, just and effective research collaborations in everyday global health research, but this can be particularly difficult in global health emergencies where the pressures are much greater. In this session we focus on the ethical questions that arise in the building and conduct of research collaborations in emergency contexts. Global health emergencies can take many different forms, research in such contexts is essential for improving practice, and collaboration is an essential part of this. What are the requirements for ethical research collaborations in emergency settings? Is there anything ethically special about such settings? One area of focus will be what, if anything, is different about research partnerships in acute global health emergencies and in research undertaken in humanitarian crises? 

Session summary 

This session focuses on the ethical complexities of research partnerships that operate in both emergency and humanitarian contexts.  In the first presentation Luz Saavedra, from Medécins Sans Frontiers (MSF), describes initial results from an ongoing review of in-country international research partnerships between MSF and national/local institutions. She explains that the MSF Ethical Review Board (ERB) framework requires researchers to provide information on the ethical aspects of their research partnerships. The current review of MSF partnerships aims to identify and understand the practical experiences related to the implementation of the ERB framework's ethical standards. Presenting result from an initial review of partnerships in emergency settings, she argues that the scale and acute impact of emergencies should not be used as an excuse to bypass ethical research and partnership practices. 

In the second presentation, Viktorya Sargsyan reflects on an implementation evaluation of a care intervention in Rwanda involving refugee and host communities. She discusses the challenges faced by frontline research staff related to workload, low pay, and low morale and illustrates that ethical research partnerships in humanitarian settings are inherently political, marked by poverty and constrained civic voice. She argues we need to rethink how ethical research partnerships are structured in humanitarian settings, particularly how Non-Governmental Organisations engage with local staff, authorities, and communities under conditions of uncertainty and scarcity and that partnerships should be grounded in respect, shared ownership, and contextual understanding.