This study aims to demonstrate that human rights should be the fundamental ethical framework of research ethics. We have divided the approach of the interrelationship between human rights framework and research ethics in three phases, the first marked by the introduction of the principles of Nüremberg, the second by the hegemony of the Declaration of Helsinki, and the third is characterized by the increase in international research, the decline of the Helsinki Declaration and the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. Based on the tripartite methodology employed, we have concluded that, despite the unquestionable relevance of the Declaration of Helsinki for building a culture of respect and protection of the research subject, we can verify its loss of legitimacy, so, it must be understood that the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights and the International Law of Human Rights should be the new parameters of the research ethics worldwide and in Brazil.
Research ethics; Human rights; Declarations