Starting the ethical journey: Reflections on Ethical Issues Experienced by DEPP Labs: Part 1

The paper introduces issues of ethics in humanitarian innovation. It is part of a three part series by Kristin Bergtora Sandvik that explore ethics questions faced by community-centred innovation labs.

DEPP Innovation Labs is a two-year programme that manages several labs in four disaster-prone countries (Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya and Philippines). Kristin Bergtora Sandvik was invited to participate as an ethics advisor to this project in January 2018. This reflection piece is the first in a three-part series that explore ethics questions faced by community-centred innovation labs.

The paper was intended to first, make the labs more aware of ethics issues in relation to their everyday activities and help them to think through these issues. Secondly, to document and analyse this process, with the aim of building knowledge in the sector and furthering academic engagement with this field.
The reflections are based on Kristin's initial activities undertaken with the labs: an online discussion at the website, a webinar where she gave an introduction in February 2018, and subsequent self-reporting by the labs in spring 2018.