Ethics charter
The research ethics charter in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) is the result of extensive consultations and discussions between ANRS MIE and its various partners in LMICs.
Last updated on 19 May 2026
Main points
Following extensive consultations with the scientific community, civil society and community organisations, members of Ethics Committees, and institutional partners in France and the PRFI countries, the Research Ethics Charter was designed as a guide to facilitate ethical reflection. It aims to:
- define and set out the principles and commitments that must apply to all research it supports;
- specify the conditions under which it funds and coordinates such research.
Published in 2002 and revised in 2008 and again in 2017, the ANRS MIE will publish a new version in April 2026.
An initial Charter was published in 2002 against a backdrop of significant growth in HIV/AIDS research focused on people living with HIV. This was followed in 2008 by a revised version incorporating research on viral hepatitis in line with the agency’s new remit. A new version of the Charter was drafted in 2017 to take account of developments in the landscape of research on HIV and viral hepatitis, as well as changes to major international texts and legislative frameworks, both in France and in the PRFIs where ANRS MIE supports research programmes.
This fourth version, dated 2026, extends to research on tuberculosis, STIs and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, and forms part of the ANRS MIE’s 2023–2027 Strategic Framework.
The Charter applies to all areas of research: basic, translational, clinical, public health, and the humanities and social sciences.
The primary purpose of medical research involving human participants is to generate knowledge to understand the causes, development and eects of diseases; improve preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions; and ultimately to advance individual and public health. These purposes can never take precedence over the rights and interests of individual research participants.