Hello everyone,
[A short version of this message *translated *into additional languages is
available on Meta-wiki.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Revised_enforcement_guidelines/Announcement_-_Board_ratification>
]
As some of you may know, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees met
earlier this month in New York. A full report is coming up shortly, but in
the meantime we wanted to share that the Board has resolved to ratify the
Universal Code of Conduct Enforcement Guidelines (EG)
<https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Resolution:Approval_of_Universal_Code_of_Conduct_Enforcement_Guidelines>
.
To recall, last year on March 2022, the community votes on the EG showed a
slim majority agreeing that the EG was ready to be implemented, with 58.6%
voting in support of the EG. The comments added to the votes revealed
concerns regarding four areas, and the Board requested Foundation staff to
address these concerns.
After the work done by the UCoC Revisions committee and the ongoing input
from the community facilitated by the support of Wikimedia Foundation
staff, confidence in the EG increased, with 76% of voters supporting the
EG in January 2023. Vote statistics are available on Meta-wiki
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Revised_enforcement_guidelines/Voting_statistics>.
This increase in confidence is remarkable and reflects the thoughtfulness
and care of the global Wikimedia community on this important topic. The
Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has voted to ratify the Enforcement
Guidelines. You can read more about the process behind the 2023 Enforcement
Guidelines review on Diff
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/03/21/the-enforcement-guidelines-received-strong-support-from-the-community-what-happens-next/>
.
We are now one step closer to having a fully functioning Universal Code of
Conduct, but the journey will never be truly over. The Universal Code of
Conduct and its Enforcement Guidelines will need regular community review
and improvement as our movement grows and as the world changes around us. As
called upon in our collective Movement Strategy, we will need to iterate
and adapt as we learn, and we will evolve our best practices for how we
work in our shared spaces. For now, there are some next steps to take with
the important recommendations provided by the Enforcement Guidelines. More
details will come in the next few weeks about timelines.
Sending a special {{Thank you}} and {{WikiLove}}) to all the volunteers and
staff members who joined forces to make this a reality, and hope that you
join us in recognizing this significant milestone in creating a safer, more
welcoming space, for all participants and contributors to our projects .
Best,
Shani, on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees.
Shani Evenstein Sigalov
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/profile/shani-evenstein-sigalov/>
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Chair, Community Affair Committee
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>