Paper details

Paper authors	Hadley Solomon
In panel on	From Board to Reality: The Practice of Research Ethics Reviews in Conflict Settings
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Research is increasingly important to the success of INGOs. Donors, the public, and academic sector are requiring evidence of ethical approval for all data collected from humans for the purpose of generating evidence of impact. Additionally, INGOs are becoming more aware of the importance of ethical practices when collecting data from others as a key component of basic human rights. The purpose of this paper is to explore key learnings from the last several years from one large INGO that has established an internal ethics review committee (ERC), policy, and procedure.

Challenges to the success of an internal ERC in a large INGO in the humanitarian space included limited resources such as funding, staffing, and capacity.

Pitfalls along the way have included communication and language barriers, regulatory systems that sometimes contradict, and perhaps most critically, navigating traditional Western ways of knowing in non-Western contexts.

In spite of the challenges and pitfalls there is also great promise. Staff in the countries we serve are eager to learn and grow as professionals, taking on every opportunity to participate with the ERC and carry out reviews. Accountability, transparency and reduced risk have become central to the function of the organization.

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