Business Constituency (BC) comment on proposed ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors
The Business Constituency (BC) appreciates the opportunity to provide comments regarding proposed revisions to the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors, posted for public comment on 16-May-2016 at https://www.icann.org/public-comments/expected-standards-revisions-2016-05-16-en. BC members take expected standards of behavior very seriously and are committed to supporting their evolution and effective implementation at ICANN. All members of the ICANN community (including volunteers, Board members and staff) must treat each other in a professional manner and behave professionally while participating in ICANN, both in-person and online. Sexual harassment must not be tolerated. ICANN needs clear policies, guidelines and procedures to make this a reality. This proposal is a start, but more work is needed. The BC has no objection to staff basically using the Internet Engineering Task Force’s policy on harassment<https://www.ietf.org/iesg/statement/ietf-anti-harassment-policy.html>, but meaningful guidelines and procedures also are needed. For example, the proposed standards lack any examples or supporting materials to help individuals from cultures around the world gain a common understanding of what is expected. Further, the proposed standards lack any procedure for aggrieved individuals (including a procedure for immediate intervention), an especially critical element in sexual harassment or other forms of harassment. The “Relevant Resources” and “Additional Information” sections of this public comment page are empty. It would be helpful if material were posted along with the proposed standards to indicate what due diligence has been done to support this work. Details also are lacking on the referenced “additional work” that will be undertaken. Please provide the community with a timeline and project details so the community can have more confidence that this matter will receive the attention it deserves. -- This comment was drafted by Denise Michel and edits were provided by Marilyn Cade. It was approved in accord with the BC Charter. Steve DelBianco Vice chair for policy coordination ICANN Business Constituency Attachment:
BC comment on revisions to ICANN Standards of Behaviors.pdf |