WHO Expert Group on Ethics & Governance of Infectious Disease Outbreaks and other Emergencies
Revised Terms of Reference
➢ Objective 1: Develop and revise WHO guidance on ethics and governance matters and related tools for infectious disease outbreaks, including on research, public health measures, and equitable allocation;
➢ Objective 2: Discuss and advise on ethical and governance aspects of preparedness for emergencies of public health importance and infectious disease outbreaks, as needed;
➢ Objective 3: Where needed, help to facilitate the implementation of related WHO ethical and governance guidance documents into policy and practice;
➢ Objective 4: Support WHO and Member States in responding to ethical and governance issues as they arise in terms of preparedness and response for emergencies of public health importance and infectious disease outbreaks.
26 April 2023
Original background and mission
WHO has established an international Working Group on Ethics and COVID-19 in order to develop advice on key ethical questions that Member States need to address. The expert group also advises WHO’s technical units regarding ethical aspects of their COVID-related work. Since its formation in February 2020, the group has been engaged in the following activities:
- Advice on ethical considerations in COVID-19 research
- Practical guidance on the application of ethical values central to COVID-19 research published in the journal “Public Health Ethics”
- A policy brief on resource allocation and priority setting in COVID-19 care
- Providing ethics input into the WHO's Clinical Management Guidelines and training
- Feedback provided on the Solidarity Trial protocol
- Development of emergency standard operating procedures for human research committees to facilitate rapid review of protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Advice on the criteria that must be satisfied for SARS-CoV-2 challenge studies to be ethically acceptable
- Considering other areas: Immunity certificates, MEURI (i.e., monitored emergency use of unregistered and experimental interventions) and the fair global allocation of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
Publications
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28 May 2020
Ethical considerations to guide the use of digital proximity tracking technologies for COVID-19 contact...
Digital proximity tracking technologies have been identified as a potential tool to support contact tracing for COVID-19. However, these technologies raise...
28 May 2020
Guidance for research ethics committees for rapid review of research during public health emergencies
Conducting research on new medications or vaccines during a pandemic is essential, and research ethics committees need to be prepared to rapidly review...
The widespread use of safe and efficacious vaccines for COVID-19 could save many lives, prevent disease, and permit the safe relaxation of other public...