2019:Thriving in Safety/Do we need a global dispute resolution committee?

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Thriving in Safety/Do we need a global dispute resolution committee?

Gobwee · Saturday 14:45 - 15:30

Please have a look at the topics that people want to see in this space before making a submission and describe how your submission connects with those topics.

Description

In recent years, we have seen several onwiki conflicts between and within communities of different Wikimedia projects without local dispute resolution mechanisms. It sometimes happens that local administrators are not capable of handling such conflicts, especially when more than one Wikipedia project is involved. In such cases, users on Meta-Wiki are called for help, including the global community through requests for comment or users involved in global administration like Global Administrators and Stewards. However, most members of these groups are acting more on the technical side of the projects and are not focused on resolving disputes.

Several attempts to create any such body where harmed people can go to and ask for help, have failed (see m:dispute resolution committee and linked pages). One of the reasons for that is a lack of common understanding when and how any such body should work. We want to bring people together who help us discuss whether or not we need such committee and how and by whom it should be shaped to respect the needs of local communities but be effective for conflicts which affect more than one wiki or local ones that cannot be solved by administrators alone.

Relationship to the theme

This session will address the conference theme — Wikimedia, Free Knowledge and the Sustainable Development Goals — in the following manner:

3. Good Health and Well Being
5. Gender Equality
10. Reduced inequalities
16. Peace justice and strong institutions
17. Partnerships for the goals

Good health and wellbeing and reduced inequality, in particular for smaller groups, are strongly tackled by this presentation and can also result in gender equality when any such issues arise. With the right kind of help at the right time, we can improve the situation for many users in need.

Session outcomes

At the end of the session, the following will have been achieved:

Attendees could share own experiences or have learned about local and multi-project conflicts that couldn't be used by regular dispute resolution processes.
The idea of a dispute resolution committee was discussed with pros and cons. When there was much support for that, users who are interested in shaping such body started the process.
Alternative methods of global dispute resolution could be discussed, including best practices for resolving disputes between users or groups with different lived experiences and worldviews.

Session leader(s)

Session type

Each Space at Wikimania 2019 will have specific format requests. The program design prioritises submissions which are future-oriented and directly engage the audience. The format of this submission is a:

Workshop to identify and try to solve problem
Roundtable discussion forum

Requirements

The session will work best with these conditions:

Room (Please be aware that the main room available will be a 30 person board room. We can try and arrange for other rooms, but cannot guarantee success):
- Group-shaped room for an open atmosphere while still being a private, safe space.

Audience:
- Meta-Wiki users, in particular globally active users like global administrators and stewards.
- Functionaries experienced with resolving conflicts, e.g. ArbCom members, mentors, etc.
- User from smaller communities without dispute resolution committees or who had experienced unresolved conflicts.

Recording:
- No.