On 2 October, Thatshisiwe Ndlovu held a workshop at PARI offices to review an Ethical Global Research Toolkit produced by the University of Edinburgh. The Toolkit comes out of a roundtable event held in June/July 2019, at which Ndlovu and others explored the themes and principles required to underpin ethical research.
“This toolkit seeks to illuminate and address existing and emerging issues in a rapidly changing landscape of expectations about ethical research conduct. In addition to a shared values base, a shared plan of action is urgently needed to support researchers and communities to work together on finding solutions.
We want our global challenges research to enable impact for society and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – both in the way we do this work as well as in the outcomes and transformation our research can enable.
We are part of a Global Academic Village. We face many similar challenges though we work in extremely diverse contexts and come from very different backgrounds. In 2019, the University of Edinburgh hosted roundtable events1 with people involved in global research to explore: ‘What will enable sustained ethical action in global research?’ This toolkit captures the wisdom and insight from over 110 people actively working in global research in over 30 countries and across a wide range of disciplines.
‘Now I know that I am not alone. It is reassuring and liberating to know that others have had the same experiences. It is empowering to hear their solutions and to talk about mine. Now I know that there is not one right answer, but there is a strong process that will help me find the best answer for my project, for now’. (Roundtable participant)” —Introduction, Ethical Global Research Toolkit
