Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-Poor Settings
Respect
![](https://old.globalcodeofconduct.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/respect.jpg)
To show respect when engaging with communities requires an acceptance that their customs and cultures may be different from one's own. It means that one may need to accept a decision or a way of approaching a matter, even if one disagrees. Respect is therefore a difficult value, as there is always the possibility that one cannot accept another's decision, especially when this creates a serious conflict of conscience. To find an appropriate route between imperialist-type imposition of approaches and careless acceptance of human rights violations may sometimes be challenging, but it is what researchers with integrity must sometimes address.
Articles
- Article 8
Potential cultural sensitivities should be explored in advance of research with local communities, research participants and local researchers to avoid violating customary practices. Research is a voluntary exercise for research participants. It is not a mission-driven exercise to impose different ethical values. If researchers from high-income settings cannot agree on a way of undertaking the research that is acceptable to local stakeholders, it should not take place.
- Article 9
Community assent should be obtained through recognized local structures, if required locally. While individual consent must not be compromised, assent from the community may be an ethical prerequisite and a sign of respect for the entire community. It is the responsibility of the researcher to find out local requirements.
- Article 10
Local ethics review should be sought wherever possible. It is of vital importance that research projects are approved by a research ethics committee in the host country, wherever this exists, even if ethics approval has already been obtained in the high-income setting.
- Article 11
Researchers from high-income settings should show respect to host country research ethics committees.