closed Updated ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct Concerning SOIs

Outcome

ICANN organization (org) received 12 submissions providing input on an updated version of the ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct Concerning Statements of Interests (“Code”), which is intended to support ethical standards of disclosure when participating across the ICANN community. Many commenters expressed support for the updated Code and commented that the updated Code has addressed some of the community’s requests and inputs received during the prior Public Comment and the ICANN82 community dialogue on the enforcement of the Code.

ICANN will review the input received to evaluate whether any further refinement or updates are needed. The Code (including further updates, if needed), will then be presented to the ICANN Board for consideration. Upon adoption, ICANN org will work with the community to support the development of forms and processes to facilitate streamlined statement of interest processes. At that time, ICANN will also work with the community to identify relevant areas for training on the Code.

What We Received Input On

ICANN is seeking comment on an updated version of the ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct Concerning Statements of Interest ("Code"). In response to inputs received during the prior public comment and the ICANN82 community dialogue on the enforcement of the Code, ICANN updated the document, including the introduction of a new section on examples offered to support community training, compliance and enforcement of the Code. The update to the Code also makes clearer when disclosures are required, confirming that ICANN processes generally remain publicly available for everyone to access and follow even when they are unable to make disclosures. To help the community better understand the scope of changes, a redline from the October 2024 version is provided, as well as an Explanation of Updates to ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct. Within that Explanation, there is also discussion of some of the community inputs not reflected within the updated Code. The Code remains focused on embracing the reality that ICANN’s multistakeholder model is vibrant because of the variety of interests that are present within community deliberations, while expressing an expectation that those interests are clearly and fully disclosed among participants.

After adoption, the Code and its explanatory documentation can continue to be updated and refined to address emerging issues in disclosure or enforcement. As with all aspects of the ICANN Community Ethics Policy, as described in October 2024, the Code will be an evolving document.

KEY QUESTIONS:

• Are there further areas where the Code should be updated prior to adoption in order to set clear expectations for community disclosure of interests?
• Are there different or additional examples that should be offered in the section on “DISCUSSION AND EXAMPLES TO SUPPORT TRAINING, COMPLIANCE, AND ENFORCEMENT”?

Background

The updated ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct Concerning Statements of Interest ("Code") refines a proposal for how those participating in ICANN community processes can better understand the interests present in those processes. The Code will be part of an evolving collection of ICANN documents that collectively form the ICANN Ethics Policy, including the draft ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct, the Expected Standards of Behavior, Community Anti-Harassment Policy, and other documents.

An earlier version of the Code was posted for public comment in late 2024, to address ICANN community conversations that the current Statement of Interest processes do not appear to be comprehensive enough. ICANN’s multistakeholder community thrives on the variety of perspectives and interests that shape community deliberations, and the Statements of Interest conversations reveal an opportunity to provide more clarity for the community on enhancing disclosure practices. The Code was produced and refined in order to support ethical practices of disclosures when participating across the ICANN community

Supporting Information