What does ethical health research look like in a climate-impacted, data-driven world - especially in resource-limited settings?
At the Oxford Global Health Bioethics International Conference, our Executive Director Mercury Shitindo shared emerging lessons from ABN’s ongoing research to co-create an ethical governance framework for sustainable, data-driven health research in Africa.
This work, supported by the World Health Organization as part of a call to promote ethically sound and equitable climate and health research, is being developed across Kenya and Senegal.
🧭 What we have done so far:
🔹 Conducted fieldwork to identify ethical gaps and contextual realities
🔹 Co-created a draft framework with stakeholders from 8 key sectors - including government, ethics, technology, community, media, industry, research and academia
🔹 Rooted our approach in African values of #justice, #cooperation, #utility, and #collectivestewardship
🔜 What’s next:
📍Senegal 2025 - validation workshops to test adaptability and ensure the framework can serve diverse African research environments
📈 A phased implementation model that supports RECs, institutions, and policymakers in embedding sustainability into research ethics practice
This initiative goes beyond procedural ethics. It’s about rethinking what responsible research means from the Global South outward - centering local realities, redistributing responsibility, and ensuring environmental sustainability is not an afterthought, but a core ethical obligation.
We are grateful to all collaborators, stakeholders, and local partners who continue to shape this work. This is truly a collective effort.
