Public Health Ethics, Values and Law
Ethics, values and law are key pillars for good public health policy, research and practice and are one of the main priority areas for GNAPH. The Public Health Ethics and Law Network provides a platform for coordination, collaboration resource sharing, activities and potential collaboration to further advance the discourse, scholarship and practice around the issue.
Our purpose
Ethics are sets of moral values and principles held by a people or institution, expressed in a code of ethics, and enforced, as much as possible, in laws. The purpose of the Public Health Ethics and Law Network is to support country Ministries of Health and public health institutions as they clarify their values in codes of ethics and incorporate the principles into their training of students and staff.
Support for public health practitioners and institutions
Major priorities for the PHEL Network and associated Coalition
- Mission and mandate of public health
- Creating a code of ethics and standard professional conduct for public health professionals and institutions
- Building ethicolegal competence, capacity and resilience through education and training
- Moral distress and injury in health workforce
- Law and ethics for climate action
- Indigenous knowledge and world views
- Peace, polycrises, and public health
Public health providers seek to respect and preserve the health of individuals and the communities they live in. They address the root causes of health so poor outcomes can be prevented, while also being responsive to current events that require innovation and quick action. Codes of ethics and laws help public health providers act justly and quickly. The materials provided here can help them establish, learn, teach, and use resources for the ethical practice of public health.
Creating a code of ethics
To ensure that public health services are provided in ways that build trust, public health institutions identify essential ethical practices and write them down in a code. Here we walk you through the process of creating a public health code of ethics.
Educating and training practitioners
Codes and laws are helpful only if they are put into practice by people trained in them. We provide here guidance on teaching ethics and law in public health degree programs, and training practitioners on the job.
Ethical and legal practices
How are public health decisions made inclusively? How should a public health agency communicate with the public? We provide here guidance for these practices and others.
At the International Roundtable Summit on Ethics, Values and Law for good public health policy and practice at the Royal College of Physicians in London in June 2025 there was development of lines of action and creation of a community of learning and collaboration.
For further information please contact: PhelNetwork@gmail.com