Lifting The Burden embraces the values of its partners. In particular, the Campaign adopts the values described below as core, undeniable and incontrovertible.

Ethical conduct

Lifting The Burden will ensure that all research and other activities conducted on its behalf or in its name respect persons and human rights and otherwise meet universally accepted ethical standards.¹

Efficiency coupled with equity

Lifting The Burden will concentrate its activities where they are most needed and where they can best achieve benefit.

Local needs and local ownership

Lifting The Burden recognizes that local needs are best known to and prioritized by local people. Their solutions require local determination and must build upon each community's available resources.

Strength in partnership

Lifting The Burden creates partnership between the headache NGOs and WHO, and couples the NGOs' resources with WHO's experience, know-how and contacts in pursuit of worldwide change for good. Lifting The Burden recognizes that a range of other groups and individuals - academic, professional, lay, governmental and commercial - can through inclusion bring added strength and reach to the Campaign.

Respect for science

Lifting The Burden recognizes that good health care is based on evidence, and that the origins of evidence lie in science and scientific method.

Ambition coupled with realism

Lifting The Burden sets itself challenging but achievable targets.

Openness and accountability

Everyone affected by headache and everyone working in the headache field are stakeholders in Lifting The Burden. The World Headache Alliance accepts the responsibilities of leading the Campaign partners. The Global Campaign Committee which directs Lifting The Burden, is an advisory committee to WHA's Council of Management. On this committee are representatives of WHA, IHS, EHF and WHO. Lifting The Burden consults widely in formulating its actions, keeping stakeholders informed of intentions and progress through this website.

Independence from unwanted influence

Lifting The Burden will not be guided or influenced by commercial considerations, and will not seek or accept funding that creates conflicts of interest or from companies dealing in arms, tobacco or alcohol.

Reference
^{1. Ethics Subcommittee of the International Headache Society. Ethical issues in headache research and management. Report and recommendations. Cephalalgia 1998; 18: 505-529. (View this document as a pdf, from the IHS website)}

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