Osama -
You raise an important point – requiring unanimous consent does present some challenges, but as with any governance mechanism, there are tradeoffs to consider.
While I don’t generally intend to engage in the broader Governance Document discussions (as these matters are rightly being presented for community deliberation), I hadn’t seen a response to your message and I believe you’ve raised an issue that merits serious consideration. (I must note that neither the ARIN community nor ARIN Board of Trustees have a stated position on this particular issue, so my comments are purely based on my own perspective to help advance this community’s discussion of this important topic and nothing more.)
One could argue that unanimous approval reflects not just existing practice, but “proven code.” Both LACNIC and AFRINIC, the two RIRs approved under ICP-2, were established with the unanimous support of the existing RIRs. That precedent holds some weight, but it’s important to recognize that what worked in the past may not necessarily meet the needs of today or tomorrow. Ideally, we should begin with a clear articulation of current requirements and let that inform how governance structures are shaped (rather than just defaulting to legacy processes.)
In the case of recognizing a new RIR, there are some practical considerations that shouldn’t be overlooked when setting the requirements. By definition, a new RIR would be formed out of a portion of a region currently served by an existing RIR (or RIRs), and thus requires some rather careful coordination to ensure a smooth transition during startup. (This coordination process occurred during both LACNIC and AFRINIC becoming operational and spanned more than a year in each case.)
More broadly, the Internet number registry system depends on close ongoing collaboration between the RIRs for its smooth and cohesive functioning, and this loose coupling for both overall governance and operations is a distinctive feature of the system (when compared to ISPs, DNS registries, or most other elements of the Internet’s infrastructure).
If an RIR found that it could not, in good faith and consistent with its own community’s principles, support the recognition of a proposed RIR, then mandating its approval & support for the new RIR may not lead to a constructive or sustainable outcome. While consensus for recognition is a high bar, it helps mitigate the risk of a “failed RIR recognition” — which could obviously be very problematic for the entire Internet numbers community.
However, I will reiterate that these are truly matters for this community to consider, and that there are very few absolutes here; it’s really just a question of the balancing the tradeoffs to find those that are most suitable for the RIR system going forward.
Thanks!
/John
John Curran
($dayjob = CEO of ARIN)
On Apr 20, 2025, at 3:36 AM, Osama I. Al-Dosary <dosary@solyton.com> wrote:
Hello
I'm concerned by the unanimity clause under the "recognition" section of the draft. Unanimity is inherently difficult to achieve. It means veto power to existing RIRs, making recognition of a new RIR extremely challenging and potentially suppressing regional interests.
Furthermore, with this unanimity clause, there seems to be an implicit assumption that there will never be a need for a new RIR in the future, or that a new RIR is fundamentally a bad thing. This perspective doesn't account for future developments and emerging needs. A more democratic alternative could be the more common majority vote. Although, an endorsement by existing one or two RIRs could also be effective.
What is the rationale for requiring unanimity (as opposed to a majority vote)?
Thank you
Regards,
Osama Al-Dosary
dosary@solyton.com
On 14 Apr 2025, at 10:35 AM, Ulka Athale <uathale@ripe.net> wrote:
Dear colleagues,
This message is sent on behalf of the Number Resource Organization
Number Council (NRO NC)
The announcement can be viewed at:
https://www.nro.net/consultation-on-draft-governance-document-for-the-recognition-maintenance-and-derecognition-of-regional-internet-registries/
-----------------------------------------
The NRO NC has published a draft version of a document that aims to
update ICP-2: Criteria for Establishment of New Regional Internet
Registries. This updated document is titled “Governance Document for
the Recognition, Maintenance, and Derecognition of Regional Internet
Registries” (RIR Governance Document) and can be viewed here:
https://www.nro.net/policy/internet-coordination-policy-2/rir-governance-document/
We now invite your input on this draft. Please make sure to share your
feedback by Tuesday, 27 May 2025 on your regional consultation list.
-----------------------------------------
Background Information
-----------------------------------------
In October 2023, the Number Resource Organization Executive Council
(NRO EC) asked the NRO Number Council (NRO NC), that fulfils the role
of the Address Supporting Organization Address Council (ASO AC), to
establish and manage a process to update the Internet Coordination
Policy (ICP-2): Criteria for Establishment of New Regional Internet
Registries document [1]. Modification of ICP-2 requires an open and
transparent process to allow participation from across the global RIR
and ICANN communities.
As part of this process, the NRO NC invited the global Regional
Internet Registry (RIR) communities to provide feedback on each
principle via a questionnaire, which was open from 8 October until 6
December 2024 [2]. On 24 February 2025, the NRO published a
qualitative analysis and summary of the community responses received
on the proposed principles to update ICP-2 [3].
The updated criteria will continue to reflect the fundamental
principles required for recognizing and evaluating new RIRs in keeping
with the Internet landscape of today. There is no intention to
fundamentally change or redesign the existing RIR system. The focus of
the review and revision process is to identify existing gaps and areas
of improvement to support the continued stability and self-governance
of the Internet Numbers Registry System. This includes expanding or
adding details related to governance, ecosystem, life cycle,
recognition and operation of RIRs. It also outlines principles for the
potential ‘derecognition’ of an RIR if it fails to adhere to the
established criteria.
-----------------------------------------
Share Your Input
-----------------------------------------
The NRO NC is now seeking community input on the new draft text of the
proposed “RIR Governance Document”. This feedback will be reviewed by
the NRO NC during their workshop scheduled during ICANN 83 in June.
We ask you to please keep the following in mind while preparing your comments:
- Please share feedback that is specific to this draft
- We are particularly interested in hearing your views on the new
requirements in the draft
- Whether the draft provides sufficient clarity regarding the ongoing
obligations of an RIR and the remediation steps if the obligations are
not met
- This document does not address the implementation of the RIR
criteria; comments on implementation will be considered out of scope
- Constructive comments are highly appreciated
To participate, please follow the consultations in your region listed
on the Community Engagements web page:
https://www.nro.net/policy/internet-coordination-policy-2/community-engagement/
-----------------------------------------
Join a Session
-----------------------------------------
All the planned sessions during which we will share information on the
draft “RIR Governance Document” and the process to update ICP-2 will
be listed on the NRO website. The sessions will also be recorded and
archived, links to the recordings will also be listed on the same
webpage:
https://www.nro.net/policy/internet-coordination-policy-2/community-engagement/
Regards,
The NRO Secretariat
[1] https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/new-rirs-criteria-2012-02-25-en
[2] https://www.nro.net/the-nro-invites-internet-community-to-participate-in-icp-2-questionnaire/
[3] https://www.nro.net/policy/internet-coordination-policy-2/icp-2-principles-questionnaire-report-and-data/
-----------------------------------------
For further reference, the timeline and process to review ICP-2 is
available here:
https://www.nro.net/policy/internet-coordination-policy-2/process-for-the-review-of-icp-2-and-timeline/
Kind regards,
Ulka Athale
RIPE NCC
www.ripe.net
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