Diversity and Inclusion

The work of the IETF is improved when it benefits from a broad range of technical perspectives. While the IETF is open to any interested individual, various barriers can stand in the way of participation.

ANRP talk by Maria Apostolaki 102 IETF 007

Meeting fee waivers

Diversity and Inclusion sponsors make it possible to provide waivers that cover the cost of remote participation fees for IETF meetings. Even though most of the work of the IETF takes place online via email lists, meeting fee waivers allow those for whom these would be a barrier to participate in meetings held three times per year and interact in real-time with colleagues from around the world.

IETF Systers

IETF Systers is a community of women and nonbinary IETF participants who gather to network, share advice and experiences, and collaborate on various projects. IETF Systers welcome women and nonbinary participants of all ages and at any stage of their studies or careers, and serve as an informal mentoring and information gathering network. The IETF Systers has gathered during nearly every IETF meeting since 1993 and hold events and discussions between IETF meetings.

Childcare at IETF meetings

Thanks to the generous support of Diversity & Inclusion sponsors, childcare is offered at every IETF meeting for onsite participants. This allows people who have obligations to young children to participate at meetings in-person when they otherwise might not be able to do so.

Closed Captioning

While the official language of the IETF is English, it is recognized that English is an additional language for many participants.

The IETF endeavors to be inclusive of those who are not native English speakers, and has started to provide closed captioning for working group meetings.