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<DIV>Dear ICANN Community Leaders and Members:<BR><BR>ICANN's Ombudsman, Frank
Fowlie, recently posted a web page on Respectful Online Communication and
Behavior: <BR><<A
href="http://icann.org/ombudsman/respectful-communication-en.htm">http://icann.org/ombudsman/respectful-communication-en.htm</A>>.
This page emphasizes the importance of respectful communication in ICANN,
particularly in this phase of its development as an international organization:
<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN-LEFT: 40px">"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."<BR><BR></DIV>ICANN's Standard
of Behaviour also can be found on this page, and is included below for easy
reference.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR>Denise<BR><BR>Denise Michel<BR>ICANN Vice
President<BR>Policy Development<BR><A
href="mailto:policy-staff@icann.org">policy-staff@icann.org</A><BR>
<P><STRONG>ICANN EXPECTED STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR</STRONG></P>
<P>"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:</P>
<P>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.</P>
<P>Adhere to the conflict of interest policy laid out in the Bylaws.</P>
<P>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.</P>
<P>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.</P>
<P>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.</P>
<P>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.</P>
<P>Act in accordance with ICANN policies.</P>
<P>Protect the organization's assets and ensure their efficient and effective
use.</P>
<P>Act fairly and in good faith with other participants in the ICANN
process."</P><BR></BODY></HTML>