ALNAP will seek approval from the ODI Global Research Ethics Committee for components of the project likely to engage with vulnerable individuals, including the in-country research and the aid recipient survey where we seek the perspectives of people affected by crisis. We will also work with research partners to gain local research approval where officially required but also where engagement with formal or informal gatekeepers would be useful to support the safety of in-country researchers and participants.
Full ethical considerations will be outlined in the submission to relevant approval bodies and tailored by research component and context, but key issues to consider in this research will include: informed consent and the ability for participants to withdraw from the process; the attempts but limits to ensuring anonymity to KII, survey and FGD participants; safe storage, transfer and protected access to data; physical and psychological safety of participants and researchers (particularly in contexts affected by conflict); and bias in the analysis and representation or findings (including a consideration of the researchers’ own positionality and backgrounds).
We will put in place measures to help mitigate these risks in consultation with partners who understand local contexts.