Each day, people from around the world - from a variety of nations and cultures, of differing gender and age - turn to FAO Web sites for credible and reliable information. Therefore, FAO's online information should not discriminate, stereotype or demean people based on their sex, ethnicity etc. To avoid this, guidelines exist with specific attention given to gender-sensitive terminology. Listed here are a few examples of this type of language:

• when referring to a position, quality or action that might apply to either sex, use a non-sexist term: fishermen becomes fisherfolk;
• the "average man in the street" becomes the "average person in the street";
• manpower = human resources, man-made = human-induced and chairman = chairperson;
• avoid terms such as the Western world, instead use developed or industrialized countries; and developing countries rather than underdeveloped or third world

For more terms, refer to the FAO House Style.