Research Ethics Review Committee (ERC)
The Research Ethics Review Committee (ERC) is a 27-member committee established and appointed by the Director-General. Its mandate is to ensure WHO only supports research of the highest ethical standards. The ERC reviews all research projects, involving human participants supported either financially or technically by WHO. While the majority of the committee consists of WHO staff, international external individuals are also appointed as committee members.
Committee members

The ERC reviews all research projects, involving human participants supported either financially or technically by WHO. While the majority of the committee consists of WHO staff, international external individuals are also appointed as committee members.

The Research Ethics Review Committee (ERC) is a 27-member committee established and appointed by the Director-General. Its mandate is to ensure WHO only supports research of the highest ethical standards. The ERC reviews all research projects, involving human participants supported either financially or technically by WHO. While the majority of the committee consists of WHO staff, international external individuals are also appointed as committee members.

Members bring with them valuable and extensive experience and knowledge in research in different fields, and receive appropriate training in research ethics before commencing their role within the ERC. The broad range of research expertise of Committee members, together with the ethics training, ensures that all proposals are thoroughly and fairly reviewed for ethical research conduct.

The ERC reviews and advises on research:

  • fully or partially funded by WHO
  • managed by WHO
  • in which WHO is either a partner or collaborator.

The terms of reference of the ERC are defined by the WHO Manual and are operationalized through its Rules of Procedures.

The ERC is guided in its work by the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (1964) last updated in 2013 as well as the International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects (CIOMS 2016). According to these guidelines, all research involving human subjects should be carried out in accordance with the fundamental ethical principles of respect, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice.

List of research protocols approved or exempted by the WHO ad hoc Ethics Review Committee for COVID-19 and templates and guidance documents

In May of 2020, the WHO established a branch of the WHO Research Ethics Review Committee dedicated to reviewing research related to COVID19.

The list of protocols approved or exempted by this committee (Table 1) is provided to ensure that member states and partners can easily determine what studies under local consideration have been approved or exempted by the WHO ERC. This approval or exemption does not replace the need for submission to and review by the appropriate local authorities in the country where the research will take place. The list of protocols approved or exempted by the standing WHO Research Ethics Review Committee will be provided separately.

Table 2 lists WHO template and guidance documents for which the COVID-19 ERC branch has provided advice. These documents support countries and institutions in developing site-specific research studies. These templates or guidance documents are not considered research and, therefore, are not reviewed formally by the WHO ERC.

     

Committee members

Chair Peter Olumese