ITM endorses the Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings

The ITM Management Committee endorsed on 3 May 2022 the Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings. The Code was developed by the TRUST project, led by professor Doris Schroeder. It is endorsed by various donors and research institutions, such as the European Commission for Horizon2020, the EDCTP, the University of Cape Town, Wits University and others (see more at https://www.globalcodeofconduct.org/).

The two-page Code is rooted in the belief that research partnerships must be based on fairness, respect, care, and honesty. It addresses all research stakeholders who, across all disciplines, want to ensure that research in lower income settings is carried out ethically, and without any double standards. Double standards include ‘ethics dumping’, i.e. undertaking in lower income settings research that would not be acceptable or authorised in high-income countries, and ‘helicopter research’, i.e. collecting data or samples in lower-income countries and publishing results with no significant involvement from local scientists and no benefit for local communities.

The twenty-three articles guide us as across practical ways to translate the principles of fairness, respect, care, and honesty into collaborative research practices. It is a warmly-recommended reading for ITM researchers and students coaches, and it has been included among the reference documents of the ITM Institutional Review Board.

Update: On 7 June 2023, the Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings was renamed at a UNESCO-hosted event in Paris to The TRUST Code - A Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships. You can access the revised code here.