Preamble

Overview

The Founding and Governing Code of Ethics of Publiks (the “Code of Ethics” and the “Ethics”) shall ethically guide, inform, and govern any and all activity involving, relating, referring, or otherwise pertaining to Publiks.

Therefore, persons engaged in any such activity are expected to uphold the principles delineated below.

I — Your Ethics Agreements

— first, with respect to the Agreement you enter into with Publiks via the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics, the Codes and Polices, and Publiks User Agreement and Code of Conduct, you understand and adhere to the following:

i. Your Agreement
that you understand the Codes and Policies, including the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics, to be an integral part of Publiks User Agreement and Code of Conduct you enter into with Publiks.
ii. Your Consent
that your consent to Publiks User Agreement and Code of Conduct includes your legally equivalent consent to the Codes and Polices and to the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics.
iii. Your Adherence
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics and the Codes and Policies, in their entirety without modification, including as they are amended from time to time by Publiks.
iv. Your Duty
that you have read, understood, consented to, and accepted your attendant duty to the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics as well as to the Codes and Policies — which is limited to specifically include your legally binding agreement to refrain from and report any breach, diminishment, disruption, impediment, interference, or other violation pertaining to these Policies; as well as any diminishment, impediment, or interference with, in any way, the sole ability, discretion, opportunity, and right of Publiks and the sole Founder, Owner and Manager, Alvan Azinna Chibuzo Ikoku, to determine compliance with the Codes and Policies and to have their decision be final and binding and not subject to challenge or appeal.
vi. Your Accordance with Integrity
that any of your activity subject to the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics shall further remain in accordance with the Policy on Organizational Integrity.
vii. Your Accordance with Mission
that any of your activity subject to the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics shall further remain in accordance with the founding mission and purposes of Publiks, without incompatibility, as described and delineated in the Codes and Policies and the Founder’s Operating Agreement.
viii. Your Knowledge
that you are aware that Publiks strongly recommends you develop and maintain your knowledge of all the Codes and Policies, and so asks that you read, understand, and regularly visit this section and other communications regarding the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics, as well as the Codes and Policies; that you agree that updating this section constitutes legally sufficient notice; and that you therefore acknowledge that Publiks takes your continued engagement in any activity involving, referring, relating, or otherwise pertaining to Publiks as active indication of your current and updated knowledge, understanding, and legally binding acceptance of and agreement to the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics as well as the Codes and Policies, as they are amended from time to time.

II — Your Ethics Understandings

— second, with respect to the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics, you understand and adhere to the following:

i. Your Understanding of Ethics
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of ethics as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
ii. Your Understanding of Ethics Principles
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of ethics principles as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy, to be fulfilled and respected and not infringed or violated, in any way, by you.
iii. Your Understanding of Ethics Rights
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of ethics rights as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy, to be fulfilled and respected and not infringed or violated, in any way, by you.
iv. Your Understanding of Ethics Protections
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of ethics protections as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy, to be fulfilled and respected and not breached or violated, in any way, by you.
v. Your Understanding of Company Mission and Purposes
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of the company mission and purposes as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
vi. Your Understanding of Humanity
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of human, humanity, humane and spiritual humanism as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
vii. Your Understanding of Honor
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of honor and honor codes as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
viii. Your Understanding of Integrity
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of integrity and trusts and organizational integrity as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
ix. Your Understanding of Respect
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of respect as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
x. Your Understanding of Meaningfulness
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of meaning, meaningfulness, intent and purpose as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xi. Your Understanding of Control
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of control and company and organizational control as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xii. Your Understanding of Governance
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of governance and company and organizational governance as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xiii. Your Understanding of Responsible Stewardship
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of responsible stewardship and company and organizational stewardship and attendant responsibilities as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xiv. Your Understanding of Independence
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of independence and company and organizational independence as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xv. Your Understanding of Entity Status
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of nongovernmental, nonpolitical, nonreligious and private status and company and organizational status that is nongovernmental, nonpolitical, nonreligious and private as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xvi. Your Understanding of Freedoms and Liberties
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of freedoms and liberties as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xvii. Your Understanding of Ethical Research and Care
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of informing, consenting and ethical research and care as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xviii. Your Understanding of Ethical Education and Training
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of informing, consenting and ethical education and training as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xix. Your Understanding of Confidentiality and Privacy
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of confidentiality and privacy as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xx. Your Understanding of Transparency
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of transparency and reasonable company and organizational transparency as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xxi. Your Understanding of Inclusiveness and Diversity
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of inclusiveness and diversity as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xxii. Your Understanding of Review and Evaluation
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of review and evaluation as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xxiii. Your Understanding of Legal Compliance
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of legal compliance as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xxiv. Your Understanding of Duty to Report
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of duty to report and inform as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.
xxv. Your Understanding of Incompatibility
that you have read, understood, consented to, and agreed to be legally bound by and abide by understandings of violation and incompatibility as they are defined and provided for in applicable law and regulation, and by Publiks in the Codes and Polices, including as delineated in this Policy.

III — Your Ethics Commitments

— third, given the aforementioned, your commitment to this understanding of ethics, of ethics principles, of ethics rights, and of their protections shall entail the following:

i. Basis for Your Activities
its basis for any activity you engage in with respect to Publiks — including the divisions, series, subsidiaries, and affiliates, as well as the Products and Services — and that any such activities you engage in shall be free of any incompatibility with, inconsistency with, or violation of the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics or any equivalent or applicable law or regulation.
ii. Commitment to Ethics
that this commitment include but not be limited to upholding for every person at Publiks the most humane, protective, respectful, robust and strictest interpretations of ethics, including as such ethics are provided for in the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics, in the Codes and Policies, and in applicable law and regulation.
iii. Commitment to Ethics Principles, Rights and Protections
that this commitment include but not be limited to upholding for every person at Publiks the most humane, protective, respectful, robust and strictest interpretations of ethics principles, ethics rights and ethics protections, including as such principles, rights and protections are provided for in the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics, in the Codes and Policies, and in applicable law and regulation.
iv. Commitment to Respectful and Protective Practices
that you respectfully assist solely via Your Duty as described in the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics and in no way interfere with or impede the reasonable efforts taken by Publiks to translate the above commitments into practices for developing and maintaining protections pertaining to ethics; for determining compliance with those protections; and for fulfilling, respecting, and safeguarding persons, properties, and interests relating to ethics, ethics processes, ethics principles, ethics rights, and their protections, including but not limited to those delineated in the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics and the Codes and Policies.
v. Commitment to Protections Following and Ahead of the Law
that you also respectfully assist solely via Your Duty as described in the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics and in no way interfere with or impede the reasonable efforts taken by Publiks to obtain, keep current and comply with required ethics law and regulation, as they pertain to applicable local, state, national and international jurisdictions, including to adopt a coupled approach to legal and substantive protections for ethics derived, in part, from the provision of rights and protections via advances in law and regulation, but also often beyond what the law provides for and protects.

Further Agreement

— and furthermore, by engaging in any activity involving, referring to, relating to, or otherwise pertaining to Publiks, any activities, affairs, areas, assets, offices, parts, properties, sections, or equivalent of Publiks, any activities, affairs, areas, assets, offices, parts, properties, sections, or equivalent of the divisions, series, subsidiaries, or affiliates, as well as any activities, affairs, areas, assets, offices, parts, properties, sections, or equivalent of the Products or Services, you accept and agree to the statements, terms, conditions, and requirements described in this section and in the Codes and Policies, regarding the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics of Publiks, in their entirety without modification, including as amended and updated from time to time by Publiks, and you further accept and agree to fully inform Publiks in writing of any knowledge you have regarding any activity subject to this Policy.

Read Further Below

Close Up of Sharpened Heads of Multi-Colored Pencils
Audience, Lajeado, RS, Brasil, April2020 (Lucas George Wendt)

Core Principles

Provision

Along with the above principles, the Code of Ethics requires your adherence to correlative principles delineated below.

1 — Mission

Mission. To carry out the founding mission and purposes of Publiks in pursuit of private and public interest. To have all activities and operations support the mission and purposes. To have all who work for or on behalf of Publiks understand and be loyal to said mission and purposes. And to have the mission and purposes be responsive to the communities served by Publiks and be of value to the society at large.

2 — Humanity

Humanity. To have as core, central and essential to Publiks robust notions of humanity and the humane. To refrain from acts of cruelty and indignity to human beings. To ensure that the welfare of an individual person is not diminished, imperiled or sacrificed for the interests of the community, group, or state. And, for the above, to therefore abide by spiritual commitments and principles defined and delineated in the Founder’s Operating Agreement and the Codes and Policies.

3 — Honor

Honor. To conduct and imbue with honor all activities within, with and with respect to Publiks. To serve Publiks under code of honor as well as ethics. And to promote through any activities relating to Publiks environments that value honor.

4 — Integrity

Integrity. To act with integrity in all activities within, with and with respect to Publiks. To ensure the organizational integrity of Publiks. And to foster at Publiks work that values integrity.

5 — Respect

Respect. To hold the fullest and most humane understanding of respect for persons to be essential to the formation, management, and operations of Publiks. To treat people of Publiks as individual persons and human beings fully enjoying respect and its substantive ethical benefits, including autonomy, dignity, humanity, integrity, and reciprocity. To also have the communities of Publiks — particularly those they help create, develop, foster, and support — emanate from and be informed by the above understanding of respect.

6 — Meaningfulness

Meaningfulness. To ensure the mission and purposes, as well as activities and operations, of Publiks are meaningful. To therefore read, interpret and make decisions from codes, policies, communications and documents of Publiks by following the intent, meaning and purpose as well as the words with which they were written. To not misconstrue them for objectives contrary to those of Publiks, its founding, or the Founder, Alvan Azinna Chibuzo Ikoku. And to confer — directly, respectfully, in writing — with the Founder where there is conflict, contradiction or question.

7 — Control

Control. To dutifully refrain from diminishing, interfering with or otherwise usurping the control of Publiks by the sole Founder, Owner and Manager, Alvan Azinna Chibuzo Ikoku. To respect the decisions made by said Founder. And to acknowledge and abide by the ownership of Publiks by said Founder.

8 — Governance

Governance. To have a governing structure — appointed, approved and administered by the Founder, Alvan Azinna Chibuzo Ikoku — that is responsible for setting the strategic directions of Publiks as well as oversight of its finances, operations, and policies.

9 — Responsible Stewardship

Responsible Stewardship. To manage all assets and properties of Publiks both responsibly and prudently — as described in the Founder’s Operating Agreement of The Alvan Ikoku Group LLC, and in fiduciary duties delineated in the constituting and governance documents of Publiks. And to also guide the official persons and communities of Publiks in accordance with this Founding and Governing Code of Ethics.

10 — Independence

Independence. To hold independence to be crucial to the fulfillment of the founding mission and purposes of Publiks. And to have independence be central to the development, role, and understanding of private and public benefit commerce at Publiks.

11 — Nongovernmental, Nonpolitical, Nonreligious, Private

Nongovernmental, Nonpartisan, Nonpolitical, Nonreligious, Private. To hold the nongovernmental, nonpartisan, nonpolitical, nonreligious and private nature and status of Publiks to be essential to fulfilling the founding mission and purposes of Publiks. And to have such nature and status be a central basis for efforts to promote the private and public interest across the complex affiliations, associations, states, and nations that constitute Africa, its global diasporas, and its connected or shared societies in which the communities of Publiks reside.

12 — Ethics, Freedoms, Liberties

Ethics, Freedoms, Liberties. To take as centrally important the practice of ethics as the examination and analysis of how to determine and do good. To also hold as centrally important the recognition and safeguarding of autonomy, dignity, humanity, and respect as well as the basic, fundamental and natural freedoms, liberties, and rights accorded to all human beings. And to furthermore hold the robust protection of minority rights to be essential to the fulfillment of the founding mission and purposes of Publiks.

13 — Informing, Consenting and Ethical Research and Care

Informing, Consenting and Ethical Research and Care. To associate with, engage in, and support only activities that meet the most robust definitions of informing, consenting and ethical research and care. And to have Publiks associate with, engage in, and support only care, research, and equivalent activity that abide by the most robust and humane interpretations of applicable guidelines, laws, and regulations, including the Belmont Report, the Declaration of Helsinki, the Nuremberg Code, the United Nations Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights.

14 — Informing, Consenting and Ethical Education and Training

Informing, Consenting and Ethical Education and Training. To also associate with, engage in, and support only activities that meet the most robust definitions of informing, consenting and ethical research and care. And to have Publiks associate with, engage in, and support only care, research, and equivalent activity that abide by the most robust and humane interpretations of applicable guidelines, laws, and regulations.

15 — Confidentiality and Privacy

Confidentiality and Privacy. To foreground the most robust protections of confidentiality and privacy as central inspirations for the formation of Publiks. To consider the confidentiality and privacy of personal biospecimens, data, and information as basic, civil and fundamental rights, and to further consider the privacy of personal life, including but not limited to aspects of life pertaining to body, conversation, home, mind, and thought, as absolute basic, fundamental and natural freedoms, liberties, and rights — all of which are to be guaranteed, safeguarded as well as essential to the fulfillment of the founding mission and purposes of Publiks.

16 — Reasonable Transparency

Reasonable Transparency. To also provide, where required, reasonable and timely information to the communities served by Publiks. To be responsive in a timely manner to reasonable requests for information. And to have such published information accurately and honestly reflect policies and practices.

17 — Accessibility

Accessibility. To endeavor that the sites, spaces, and attendant communities Publiks creates, benefits, fosters, reaches, and serves become reasonably available to those who abide by this Code of Ethics, and the Codes and Policies, regardless of disability or notions of human, cultural or social difference.

18 — Inclusiveness and Diversity

Inclusiveness and Diversity. To maintain a founding policy of promoting inclusiveness and diversity in the working environments and communities of Publiks. To take genuine and meaningful steps to promote inclusion in recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention, and in the communities to be reached, served and benefitted by Publiks.

19 — Review and Evaluation

Review and Evaluation. To periodically review and evaluate for mission alignment and effectiveness at Publiks. To develop consenting, policy-abiding and lawful means for such review and report — expressly approved and administered by the Founder, Alvan Azinna Chibuzo Ikoku. And to in this manner distill and incorporate lessons learned.

20 — Legal Compliance

Legal Compliance. To remain knowledgeable of and comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and international conventions, subject to full access to and benefit of legal, financial and other professional counsel that is not compromised by the efforts of any individual or entity, private, governmental or otherwise.

21 — Duty to Report and Inform

Duty to Report and Inform. To ensure that the work of Publiks reflect its founding mission and purposes by honorably carrying out a duty to promptly report and fully inform the Founder, Alvan Azinna Chibuzo Ikoku, of any apparent violation of or incompatibility with the founding mission or purposes, the Code of Ethics, the Codes and Policies, or equivalent codes, policies, or instruments of Publiks.

22 — No Violation or Incompatibility

No Violation or Incompatibility — Finally, under no circumstances shall any action, activity, decision, operations, resolution, or their equivalent of or with Publiks, including any conducted while meeting any fiduciary duties or standards of care or conduct, be in intentional violation of or incompatible with the following:

Founding, Mission or Purpose
the history and founding of Publiks or ensuing mission or purposes, as described by the Founder in the Codes and Polices, so that any given activity is clearly rather than arguably mission-aligned.
Founding Codes, Policies or Documents
any provision of the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics, the Founder’s Operating Agreement of The Alvan Ikoku Group LLC, the Codes and Policies, or other formation, administration, management or governance documents or instruments of Publiks, so that any given activity is clearly rather than arguably policy-abiding.
Consent Policies, Principles or Protections
any provision of the policies, principles, and protections for consent as defined and delineated in the Codes and Policies, so that any given activity is clearly rather than arguably consenting.
Privacy or Confidentiality Policies, Principles or Protections
any provision of the policies, principles, and protections for consent as defined and delineated in the Codes and Policies, so that any given activity is clearly rather than arguably private and confidential.
Applicable Law or Regulation
any provision of applicable state, federal or international law or mandatory guidelines or regulations, including of applicable constitutions, so that a given activity is clearly rather than arguably constitutional and lawful.
As Determined by the Founder
as the above are interpreted, provided for, protected, and determined solely by Alvan Azinna Chibuzo Ikoku, the sole Founder and Owner of Publiks.

And furthermore, by engaging in any activity engaging, involving, referring to, relating to, or otherwise pertaining to Publiks, any part or section of Publiks, any part or section of the divisions, series, subsidiaries, or affiliates, as well as any part or section of the Products or Services, you accept and agree to the terms, conditions, and requirements described above, in the Code of Ethics, and in the Codes and Policies, in their entirety without modification.

Questions

Please send any questions or concerns you may have concerning the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics to policies@publiks.org.

Community, September 2019 (Pierre Basin)
Community, September 2019 (Pierre Basin)
Conversation, December 2017 (Shwetangi Gupta)
Conversation, December 2017 (Shwetangi Gupta)
Cast, January 2018 (Avi)
Cast, January 2018 (Avi)

Associated Policies

Provision

As stated earlier, The Publiks User Agreement and Code of Conduct consist of several Codes and Policies that collectively govern all of your activity with, within, for, in reference to and otherwise pertaining to Publiks, including its series, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and the Products and Services. By continuing, you indicate that you understand that the Codes and Policies include — but are not limited to — the Founding and Mission Statement, the Founding and Governing Code of Ethics, the Policy on Privacy and Confidentiality, the Terms and Conditions of Use and Service, and the Acceptable Uses Policy along with all Associated Codes and Policies. Access to the aforementioned is provided below.

Founding and Mission

Statement on Founding and Mission of Publiks (HTML)

Founding Code of Ethics

Founding Code of Ethics (HTML)

Privacy and Confidentiality

Policy on Privacy and Confidentiality (HTML)

Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Use and Service (HTML)

The Acceptable Uses Policy

Acceptable Use Policy (HTML)

All Policies

All Policies (HTML)

Gathering, January 2020 (Pierre Basin)
Circle, September 2019 (Pierre Basin)
Circle, September 2019 (Pierre Basin)
Family, August 2018 (Taru Huhkio)
Family, August 2018 (Taru Huhkio)
Polity, January 2021 (Frank Castro)
Polity, January 2021 (Frank Castro)

Also at the Division

Publiks and its parent company, The Ikoku Group, are dedicated to developing, providing and safekeeping ideas and solutions — with the mission to foster care and creativity, culture and communities, ethics and innovation in lives and societies. And so in accordance with the above, Publiks and The Ikoku Group provide the following:

I.

A Company of and about Ethics

A company and division whose ethics and policies are carefully crafted, then adhered to by a range of individuals and entities working in varied relation to Publiks and The Ikoku Group to establish, develop and operate a private company dedicated to fostering care and creativity, ethics and innovation.

II.

Built with Integrity and Respect in Mind

A company and division who take as their basis the most robust conceptions of humanity, integrity and respect as well as independence and fundamental freedoms, liberties and rights — up to and beyond what the law protects and provides for — as they carry out and embody their founding and core mission and purposes.

III.

Areas of Focus Chosen for Mission and Work

And a company and division whose areas of focus have been expressly chosen to ensure attention to issues of enduring concern to the Founder — and so committed to providing products, services, sites and spaces that remain safe, secure and respectful places to do work, to teach and learn, to form, inform and, where needed, transform local and global communities.

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