Code of Conduct

Those who take part in any Fourth Estate multi-stakeholder process (in-person meetings, virtual meetings, mailing list discussions, etc.) agree to:

• Treat all members and participants equally, irrespective of nationality, gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age, or sexual orientation; all stakeholders of the Fourth Estate should treat each other with civility, both face to face and online.
• Focus discussion or remarks on issues rather than on particular actors, whether they be individuals, groups, organizations or governments, and refrain from ad hominem attacks.
• Act in a reasonable, objective and informed manner when participating in and/or using any Fourth Estate discussion platform.
• Listen and respect the views of all stakeholders when considering policy issues. The Fourth Estate is a multi-stakeholder organization and those who take part in Fourth Estate meetings and activities should acknowledge the importance of all stakeholders and seek to understand their points of view.
• Facilitate transparency and openness when participating in issue and policy discussions.
• Act fairly and in good faith with other members.
• Promote ethical and responsible behavior. Ethics and integrity are essential, and the Fourth Estate expects all stakeholders to behave in a responsible and principled way.

Failure to abide to the above guidelines and principles may result in removal from Fourth Estate hosted activities or expulsion from the organization .