IEEE believes that science, technology, and engineering are fundamental human activities, for which openness, international collaboration, and the free flow of talent and ideas are essential. Its meetings, conferences, and other events seek to enable engaging, thought- provoking conversations that support IEEE's core mission of advancing technology for humanity. Accordingly, IEEE is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment to all participants, including staff and vendors, at IEEE-related events.
IEEE has no tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or bullying in any form at IEEE-related events. All participants have the right to pursue shared interests without harassment or discrimination in an environment that supports diversity and inclusion. Participants are expected to adhere to these principles and respect the rights of others.
IEEE seeks to provide a secure environment at its events. Participants should report any behavior inconsistent with the principles outlined here, to on site staff, security or venue personnel, or to .
The IEEE Information Theory Society Board of Governors (ITSoc BoG) is committed to ensuring an inclusive, welcoming, and safe environment for everyone in the field of information theory at all of our events and experiences.
Conferences, workshops, and technical schools—along with the social outings, events, and activities that are integral components of them—are excellent venues for researchers and scholars who despite the inherent hierarchical nature of the research community in terms of seniority, advancement, contributions, and recognitions, often strive to build communities of collaborators, and friends across seniorities, generations, and institutions. On the other hand, exactly because of their less formal settings, conferences, workshops, and technical schools along with their associated social events can fall short of providing an inclusive, welcoming, and safe environment for all.
In this context, ITSoc BoG is encouraged by a cultural shift to making it safe and supportive for all those who need to report violations. ITSoc BoG recognizes and acknowledges the importance of ensuring that the academic and professional communities pay more attention, take note, and continue to take appropriate actions. ITSoc BoG reminds every attendee to help ensure that our events do not become venues for abuse of power, harassment in any form, (including but not limited to harassment based on race, gender, religion, age, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity), and/or bullying. ITSoc BoG recommends our attendees to use common sense, support each other, and create a safe space by speaking up against and/or reporting any form of harassment or bullying.
ITSoc BoG will also like to remind our attendees to review the IEEE policy against discrimination and harassment and the IEEE code of conduct and follow the suggestions and best practices for how to make the IEEE Information Theory Society conferences and venues safe and inclusive. The ITSoc BoG is continually working on improving procedures to handle incidents and reporting of issues. Meanwhile, ITSoc BoG is eager to help participants identify relevant help services. ITSoc BoG gratefully accepts feedback from the community on policy and actions; please contact the chair and/or any member of the IT Society Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.
