LACNIC Community Code of Conduct

1. Values and Rationale

LACNIC coordinates multiple community activities, including events, training courses, workshops, social meetings, and discussion lists. These activities are organized to promote the free exchange of ideas, encourage collaboration, and share knowledge among the members of the regional technical community.

LACNIC celebrates the diversity of its community. The organization believes it is vitally important for these in-person and online participation spaces to be inclusive, safe, and free from discrimination, violence or harassment of any kind.

2. Scope

This document establishes standards of behavior for those involved in LACNIC's participation spaces, whether in person or online. These standards apply to all participants, including, but not limited to, members of the community, LACNIC staff, members of committees and commissions, the Board of Directors, and forum chairs.

In the case of the mailing lists, acceptable use policies may apply that establish standards in addition to those specified in this Code. Any other specific regulations that may exist, whether for mailing lists or for other environments, will be additional and complementary to the present document.

3. Expected Behaviors

Anyone involved in LACNIC's participation spaces is expected to:

Equally respect all members of the LACNIC community and treat them with courtesy, behaving professionally and avoiding all forms of discrimination and/or harassment.
Contribute to the debates with reasonable and informed comments, particularly when participating in policy development and decision-making processes.
Listen respectfully to the views of other participants.
Work to build consensus with other participants and to find solutions to problems, particularly in the case of debates and policy development and decision-making processes.
Act fairly and in good faith in their interactions with other participants and members of the community.
Act in the best interest of the LACNIC community.
Make appropriate use of the facilities, understood as the physical spaces where community activities are carried out.

4. Unacceptable Behaviors

LACNIC is committed to promoting productive, inclusive and safe environments. Consequently, the following behaviors will not be tolerated:

Inappropriate behavior. LACNIC will not tolerate any form of antisocial behavior, such as offending or exerting physical violence against third parties, interrupting activities during an event, misuse of public spaces or private property (e.g. damage to the facilities), theft or other illegal behaviors.

Harassment. LACNIC will not tolerate any form of harassment. The organization promotes environments that are free from violence, physical, psychological, moral and other forms of harassment, as well as free from abuse of authority or other conducts that might create an intimidating or offensive environment.

Sexual harassment. LACNIC will not tolerate any form of sexual harassment.

Discrimination. LACNIC does not tolerate any form of discriminatory treatment, including, but not limited to, discrimination based on gender, race, nationality, social origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, ideology, political opinion, religion, mental or physical ability, or other personal, physical, or social condition.

5. Consequences and Process for Reporting Breaches of the Code of Conduct

The forms of unacceptable behavior listed above will not be tolerated from any member of the community, regardless of their hierarchy or position of authority. Those who are asked to cease their inappropriate behaviors must comply immediately.

If a member of the community behaves inappropriately, the LACNIC Ethics Committee will take the actions it deems appropriate, up to and including: (a) warning the person accused (low severity), (b) suspension of the person accused (medium severity), or (c) temporary or permanent expulsion of the person accused from the physical or virtual space in which such member is participating (high severity). In all cases of inappropriate behavior, the person involved may exercise their right of defense, notwithstanding which LACNIC's Ethics Committee may take the necessary preventative measures to avoid the aggravation of such conduct or behavior.

The Ethics Committee may also suspend the accused preventively in the following cases:

if it considers that there are risks for the complainant, witnesses or others involved,
if the defendant persists in the misconduct despite the request for cessation and/or,
if it is notified of another situation that warrants preventive suspension and it is presented with evidence.

If you believe that the LACNIC Community Code of Conduct has been breached, or if you have doubts regarding a specific situation, you may (a) contact a Trusted Leader(*)for support and information on the reporting process, or (b) submit a complaint directly to the Ethics Committee by completing the following form. For incidents requiring short-term support, it is recommended to first contact a Trusted Leader for a more immediate response.

All complaints will be handled and analyzed by LACNIC's Ethics Committee in confidentiality. However, the Committee will not be obliged to maintain confidentiality in those cases in which it suspects the existence of a crime and will proceed to file the complaint and/or forward the information to the competent authorities.

In the case of a conflict of interest, the existing processes that regulate incompatibilities will be followed.

A person accused of breaching the Code of Conduct may appeal all the resolutions of the Ethics Committee. A person who files a complaint may only appeal the resolutions of the Ethics Committee if they provide new information to support their request for reconsideration. To request the review of a resolution, contact the Ethics Committee.

The Trusted Leader is a support figure who will be available to the community to deal with and channel any reports related to breaches of the Code of Conduct that occur in LACNIC's participation spaces (both in-person and virtual). Trusted Leaders do not replace the Ethics Committee.

(*)The Trusted Leader is a support figure who will be available to the community to deal with and channel any reports related to breaches of the Code of Conduct that occur in LACNIC's participation spaces (both in-person and virtual). Trusted Leaders do not replace the Ethics Committee.