[council] Respectful Online Communication and Behavior

[Denise Michel <denise.michel@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear ICANN Community Leaders and Members:

ICANN's Ombudsman, Frank Fowlie, recently posted a web page on Respectful
Online Communication and Behavior:
<http://icann.org/ombudsman/respectful-communication-en.htm>.  This page
emphasizes the importance of respectful communication in ICANN, particularly
in this phase of its development as an international organization:

"Members of the community are asked to bear in mind that fellow community
members, volunteers, stakeholders, and staff members are all deserving of
considerate treatment.  Members of the community are asked to bear in mind
that the diversity of thought, and diversity of participants, in this unique
- bottom up - consensus driven - multilingual and multicultural organization
is ICANN’s strength."

ICANN's Standard of Behaviour also can be found on this page, and is
included below for easy reference.

I know some community leaders are discussing how to further encourage and
enforce these standards within their community.  Please don't hesitate to
contact ICANN Staff if there is anything we can do to assist with this
endeavor.

Regards,
Denise

Denise Michel
ICANN Vice President
Policy Development
policy-staff@xxxxxxxxx

*ICANN EXPECTED STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR*

"Those who take part in ICANN multi-stakeholder process including Board,
staff and all those involved in Supporting Organization and Advisory
Committee councils undertake to:

Act in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws. In particular, participants undertake
to act within the mission of ICANN and in the spirit of the values contained
in the Bylaws.

Adhere to the conflict of interest policy laid out in the Bylaws.

Treat all members of the ICANN community equally, irrespective of
nationality, gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs,
disability, age, or sexual orientation; members of the ICANN community
should treat each other with civility both face to face and online.

Act in a reasonable and informed manner when participating in policy
development and decision-making processes. This includes regularly attending
all scheduled meetings and exercising independent judgment based solely on
what is in the overall best interest of Internet users and the stability and
security of the Internet's system of unique identifiers, irrespective of
personal interests and the interests of the entity to which an individual
might owe their appointment.

Listen to the views of all stakeholders when considering policy issues.
ICANN is a unique multi-stakeholder environment. Those who take part in the
ICANN process must acknowledge the importance of all stakeholders and seek
to understand their points of view.

Work to build consensus with other stakeholders in order to find solutions
to the issues that fall within the areas of ICANN's responsibility. The
ICANN model is based on a bottom-up, consensus driven approach to policy
development. Those who take part in the ICANN process must take
responsibility for ensuring the success of the model by trying to build
consensus with other participants.

Act in accordance with ICANN policies.

Protect the organization's assets and ensure their efficient and effective
use.

Act fairly and in good faith with other participants in the ICANN process."