Creating a Code of Ethics

What is a code of ethics?

Ethics relate to how a culture expects individuals and institutions to behave when they have some control over the distribution of risks and benefits. A code of ethics makes those expectations explicit. Ethics are related to law but are not the same. Some ethics are encoded in law, but some are not. Moreover, some laws, such as legalized slavery, have come to be viewed as immoral. Professions with the power to make decisions affecting the public, such as lawyers, physicians, educators, and engineers often make their ethics explicit with a code. They publish the code to guide those in the profession, to enable the public to hold them accountable for being ethical, and through this to merit trust.

Why have a public health code of ethics?

The era we live in has been marked by climate change, increased inter-connectivity through transportation and migration, and political polarization. All present challenges to public health. Rising sea levels, droughts, fires, and climate refugees all present the need to protect the health of large populations. International transportation and migration threaten to make local epidemics into pandemics. However, public health institutions face politically motivated resistance to what used to be standard public health measures to protect the public. That resistance, which at times has included personal threats, has discouraged some public health professionals, causing them to leave the profession. A new generation of public health professionals is needed, and public health institutions need to provide them with tools to not only survive, but to thrive in challenging times.

To thrive in their work, people need a clear sense of purpose, a supportive community of co-workers, and resources to draw upon. An important means of identifying purpose and building community is clarifying shared values. Often, these values are articulated in a code of professional ethics. With the resources provided here we are facilitating the writing of national codes of ethics for public health or multilateral organizations.