Formation of FERCAP

The Forum for Ethical Review Committees in the Asian and Western Pacific Region (FERCAP) was conceived in Bangkok, Thailand on 12 January 2000 after much thought and deliberation among a group of bioethicists and medical experts with the objective of fostering an improved understanding and better implementation of ethical review of behavioral and biomedical researches in the region. FERCAP is the result of the realization that ethics requires collective wisdom and there is need for a systems approach to address important health research issues in Asia and the Western Pacific.

FERCAP is affiliated with and holds offices at the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences (FAHS), Thammasat University (TU) and the Ministry of Public Health ¡V Thailand (MOPH). It is a project of the World Health Organization (WHO) Special Training and Research Programme in Tropical Diseases (TDR) and it is a regional forum under the umbrella of the Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review (SIDCER).

Objectives

To improve communication among ethics committees (ECs) reviewing health research in the region;

To act as a regional collaborating center for EC members, investigators, sponsors, regulators, patients and stakeholders in health research;

To organize international meetings and symposia;

To assist with the adoption and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures for ethical review in the region, taking into consideration the WHO Operational Guidelines for Ethics Committees Reviewing Biomedical Research;

To facilitate training and education opportunities for health research stakeholders in the region;

To coordinate regional communication about ethical review of research with WHO and other international organizations involved in ethical review.

Vision

   To ensure human participant protection in health researches.

Major Programs/Projects

    Towards capacity building of stakeholders and quality improvement of ECs in the Asian and Western Pacific Region, FERCAP has the following major programs/projects:

Mission

     To foster the development of ethical review committees in member countries toward competency, independence, quality, and effectiveness in reviewing health research through the holding of workshops and discussions on ethical review; assessing regional, national, and local traditions and values in ethical review; and improving communication and education of ethics committees in the region to provide a platform for representation in the international discussion on bioethics.