Effective and equitable responses to epidemics and pandemics require some degree of collective action and coordination, but in reality, this is often difficult to achieve. Beyond the practical challenges posed by the prospect of collective action, ethical reasons may exist to support actions that run counter to collective action, such as self-preservation, protecting national interests, and so forth. While political and health leaders often make reference to ethical values in epidemic preparedness and response to promote collective action, such as solidarity, some remain unconvinced that such ethical values offer a satisfactory moral framework to support collective action. Given the importance of collective action for epidemic preparedness and response, this webinar – the second in our series on epidemics and collective action – will examine the value of different moral frameworks to justify and support collective action in epidemic preparedness and response.

1. What role, if any, do ethics and ethical values have in justifying collective action and coordination during epidemics?
2. What role, if any, do ethics and ethical values play in persuading individuals, health authorities, governments, and private industries to address collective threats and promote common interests?
3. Which ethical values, theories, or frameworks are commonly invoked to justify or support collective action and coordination in epidemics? Are some more successful or appropriate in achieving this aim?

Chair: Barbara Prainsack, Professor for Comparative Policy Analysis, Dept of Political Science, University of Vienna

Speakers:
Dr Diego Silva, MA, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Sydney Health Ethics, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney
Anant Bhan, Adjunct Professor, Centre for Ethics, Yenepoya University, Mangaluru
Rachel James, Interagency RCCE Coordinator, UNICEF, Kenya
Diane le Corvec, Global Coordinator, the Collective Service, IRFC, Geneva