Universal Code of Conduct/Project

Universal Code of Conduct

• Policy (foundationwiki)
• Enforcement guidelines (foundationwiki)
• Frequently asked questions
• Project overview
• Coordinating Committee (U4C) (draft charter)

Overview

The Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) provides a global baseline of acceptable behavior for the entire movement without tolerance for harassment. The UCoC content, which includes the policy and the enforcement guidelines, was created in two phases, and work is currently being done to implement the UCoC policy and enforcement guidelines. A full list of the activities involved in the development of the UCoC are outlined in the navigation box at the bottom of this page.

Current status

Now that the policy and enforcement guidelines are complete, the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) must be built to support the policy evolution and enforcement. A building committee was formed to create the charter for the U4C and guide the election of the first U4C. Read more on the implementation of the Guidelines and the U4C Building Committee

History

The Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) is a key initiative from the Wikimedia 2030 community conversations and strategy process. Providing for safety and inclusion within the communities and creating a code of conduct was rated the highest-priority initiative of the third Movement Strategy recommendation.

The UCoC provides a global baseline of acceptable behavior for the entire movement without tolerance for harassment. The UCoC was created through a collaborative process through two phases. Phase 1 included drafting the policy. Phase 2 included drafting enforcement guidelines. The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees ratified the policy on 2 February 2021, and the community voted on the enforcement guidelines in March of 2022. The first vote indicated community support for the guidelines, with several specific improvement areas identified through comments submitted in the process. The Board’s Community Affairs Committee (CAC) requested that a community-led revisions committee address some parts of the guidelines. This refinement process finished, and the second community led vote was held in January 2023. Based on the results, the Board of Trustees voted to ratify the Enforcement Guidelines on 9 March 2023.

Currently, the Universal Code of Conduct Building Committee is developing the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee charter.