London Calling: Recognise research as fundamental to MSF’s social mission
As MSF Scientific Days, we put forward this petition for MSF to recognise its role to expand access to research within the populations we work with in order to meet our social mission, to address power imbalances, and to ensure we are prepared for the challenges ahead.
The nature, scope and scale of humanitarian crises have grown in severity and complexity over the past two decades since the MSF Scientific Days were initiated. More people than ever before live in fragile or conflict-affected settings. These crises, whether related to conflict, climate, emerging threats such as HIV/TB, structural violence, or, increasingly, a combination of these, have incalculable acute and long-term health and social impacts on hundreds of millions of people.
Despite these burgeoning and evolving needs, the evidence base that informs how humanitarian organisations respond to existing and progressing challenges remains weak: often focussed on a few infectious diseases, based in a limited number of contexts, and overwhelmingly disseminated in the English language. Populations most in need of the benefits of research are particularly excluded from its rewards.
Research plays a critical role in enabling Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to realise our social mission. It enables the organisation to improve our medical operations and decision-making and build access for populations we work with. It also equips us to advocate for those most in need and drive global policy and programmatic change based on evidence rooted in the settings that we work in.
Despite this, research is not mentioned in any of MSF's founding documents or core agreements. Importantly, it is not a factor that is considered when making operational decisions such as closing projects. Yet, when confronted with knowledge gaps, MSF has a responsibility to both conduct and support research that is focussed on those most in need, combining scientific rigour with humanitarian action.
1. Supporting participation in and access to research
MSF Scientific Days calls on MSF leadership to recognise the imperative to support our teams and communities to participate in and have access to research: to improve the quality of care they receive, to enable adaptation of projects, to stimulate improvement in the delivery of interventions, and to inform humanitarian practice and policy, especially where there is no other organisation to address those knowledge gaps.
All too often, the populations we work with are excluded both from contributing to the generation of knowledge and evidence, and from the benefits of research. Yet, they are the ones that should gain the most.
2. Duty to research stewardship
MSF Scientific Days calls on MSF to recognise our duty to research stewardship. We must justify every research initiative within our projects, but once these projects have commenced, we should recognise that we also have an ethical duty to complete the research to the best of our ability, provided the circumstances allow.
Our research work must be treated with appropriate respect, given the needs that it addresses. Research is not a 'nice to have' but a vital and integral part of our operations and our mission.
As such, we must not embark on research lightly, but we must instead invest in meaningful research that is aimed at driving operational change and improving the health of the populations we stand alongside.
3. Being better research partners
MSF Scientific Days calls on MSF colleagues to recognise we must commit to being better research partners but also call to research partners to work with us.
We entreat other NGOs, funders, and academic institutions to focus their energies and resources on answering questions relevant to humanitarian settings that have been too long ignored or avoided.
As we see from the presentations at MSF Scientific Days, addressing these knowledge gaps can and does make a difference including guiding decisions as to when interventions or responses can be triggered for conflicts, nutritional crises or epidemics.
It is our duty to be guided by the communities involved, to bear witness to their needs and experiences, and to work collectively and collaboratively with them as well as with academics and operational partners to address these gaps.
To not do so would be shortsighted, leave us all unprepared for the challenges ahead, and perpetuate the power imbalances inherent in the humanitarian field today.
MSF Scientific Days calls on MSF to recognise our research as a fundamental part of our social mission
MSF Scientific Days calls on MSF to recognise our research as a fundamental part of our social mission
1. Supporting participation in and access to research
MSF Scientific Days calls on Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) leadership to recognise the imperative to support our teams and communities to participate in and have access to research: to improve the quality of care they receive, to enable adaptation of projects, to stimulate improvement in the delivery of interventions, and to inform humanitarian practice and policy, especially where there is no other organisation to address those knowledge gaps.
All too often, the populations we work with are excluded both from contributing to the generation of knowledge and evidence, and from the benefits of research. Yet, they are the ones that should gain the most.
2. Duty to research stewardship
MSF Scientific Days calls on MSF to recognise our duty to research stewardship. We must justify every research initiative within our projects, but once these projects have commenced, we should recognise that we also have an ethical duty to complete the research to the best of our ability, provided the circumstances allow.
Our research work must be treated with appropriate respect, given the needs that it addresses. Research is not a 'nice to have' but a vital and integral part of our operations and our mission.
As such, we must not embark on research lightly, but we must instead invest in meaningful research that is aimed at driving operational change and improving the health of the populations we stand alongside.
3. Being better research partners
MSF Scientific Days calls on MSF colleagues to recognise we must commit to being better research partners but also call to research partners to work with us.
We entreat other NGOs, funders, and academic institutions to focus their energies and resources on answering questions relevant to humanitarian settings that have been too long ignored or avoided.
As we see from the presentations at MSF Scientific Days, addressing these knowledge gaps can and does make a difference including guiding decisions as to when interventions or responses can be triggered for conflicts, nutritional crises or epidemics.
It is our duty to be guided by the communities involved, to bear witness to their needs and experiences, and to work collectively and collaboratively with them as well as with academics and operational partners to address these gaps.
To not do so would be shortsighted, leave us all unprepared for the challenges ahead, and perpetuate the power imbalances inherent in the humanitarian field today.