Independent evaluation of the WHO Ethics Review Committee: Management response

Overview

This independent decentralized evaluation of the WHO Ethics Review Committee (ERC) was commissioned in response to the requirement of the ERC Rules of Procedure (an external evaluation every five years). Its purpose was to advance learning by identifying good practices and opportunities for improvement, and for accountability. The evaluation assessed how the WHO ERC, and the related the Research Ethics Review Committee on COVID-19 (CERC), at Headquarters delivered on its mandate and objectives and lessons learned for the period 2018–2023.

The evaluation reviewed how the ERC upholds international ethical standards in WHO-supported research, how its role has evolved over time, how it responds to new demands and ethical challenges shaping the context of WHO’s research work;  the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and coherence of ERC processes and mechanisms, in particular, regional/country-level ethics review committees; and made recommendations to ensure that the ERC continues to be relevant and well positioned to support WHO research.