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Feedback on the Version 2 (DRAFT) RIR Governance Document
by William Sylvester 07 Nov '25

07 Nov '25

Dear RIPE Colleagues, We appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback on the “Governance Document for the Recognition, Maintenance, and Derecognition of RIRs” (Version 2 (DRAFT)). After speaking with many members of the global Internet community, this e-mail captures the collective feedback discussed. We sincerely appreciate the NRO Number Council (NRO NC) and all community members who have dedicated significant time and effort to producing this second draft of the RIR Governance Document. This is a critical and complex undertaking, and we value the progress made. We share the goals articulated in the draft's preamble: to "Ensure Accountability," "Support System Stability and Continuity," and "Preserve the Bottom-Up, Multistakeholder Model". We offer our feedback in a constructive spirit to ensure this draft achieves those goals in a legally sound and operationally robust manner. The community has a critical need to address these issues in an open and transparent means for the betterment of the Internet. TL;DR – Executive Summary & Key Takeaways (for those with limited time) We support evolving ICP-2 into a binding governance framework. This timely and necessary evolution requires the NRO NC to provide the foundation for essential conversations between all RIRs and ICANN—the only entities that can resolve issues of enforceability, transparency, and operational robustness within this draft framework. Immediate transparency is required. Each RIR and ICANN must publicly identify any objections to this framework or obstacles to adoption. This must be done promptly, with feedback shared openly and transparently with the entire Internet community, including all stakeholders. Governance and Global Policy must remain separate. Existing avenues serve each; discussions must focus on their respective domains without co-mingling. We must immediately establish and transparently communicate clear next steps and timelines. The community deserves meaningful inclusion. Beyond representation through the NRO NC or RIR representatives, the community deserves access to open and transparent meetings, including working sessions where any community member can attend and witness proceedings. Critical issues require immediate attention. Next steps must address continuity, data security, and rapidly finalize NRO NC efforts to ensure the security and stability of the Internet. We have an obligation to protect the RIRs, and the community must be included in this process. Continuity first: Adopt a domain-style Emergency Back-End Registry Operator (EBERO) model with clearly defined, proactive continuity triggers. * Include escrow of registry and operational data. * Define approved operators under contract with ICANN and/or RIRs. * Avoid peer-triggered failover; replace with technical + legal thresholds for real-time action. Detail obligations: * Define “financially stable and independent” using public, measurable criteria. * Require annual financial audits and triennial governance audits. * Establish formal rehabilitation pathways for non-compliant RIRs, with deadlines and enforcement. Legal backbone: Convert this draft into bilateral, binding Recognition Agreements between each RIR and a Trusted Neutral 3rd Party (currently ICANN via PTI post IANA Transition). * This gives legal force to global obligations (audits, compliance, continuity, and recognition/derecognition). * Supersede the ineffective Section 4.1(i) “local law” carve-out—no global policy can be optional. * Mandate structural alignment (e.g. bylaws, MoUs) with this governance framework. * This framework can support the current legal relationship with ICANN. Decision-making Fixes: * Replace unanimity with super-majority or arbitration to prevent stalemates. * Lower derecognition thresholds the current numbers are an incumbent shield. Understand that 5% is too low and opens risk for organizational capture. * Give ICANN an emergency escalation trigger when RIRs cannot act with clearly articulated rules for usage. * Empower an independent Ombudsman. Structural gaps: * Acknowledge and resolve the NRO’s non-legal status and its dual role as ASO. * Mandate a transparent public charter defining ASO/NRO/RIR relationships, funding, and obligations. * Avoid “peer-led takeovers”—fiduciary risk is too high. Legal continuity must rely on contractual mechanisms, not political votes. Honor the spirit and keep IANA transition promises: * Preserve bottom-up multistakeholder authority. * Require open, transparent processes for all implementation procedures. * Ensure community-driven oversight, not just RIR/ICANN negotiations behind closed doors. * Provide achievable continuity of services for all RIRs. This e-mail formally analyzes the draft. We find that while it introduces necessary concepts, it contains fundamental structural and legal ambiguities that threaten an effective governance framework. We will identify these ambiguities, explain their legal and operational consequences, and propose specific, actionable next steps to resolve them. This feedback focuses on building upon the draft’s revision – offering draft-specific feedback on clarity, requirements, and provisions – while attempting to determine future plans for implementation details. Our comments center on whether the new draft addresses identified issues, whether the ongoing obligations and remediation processes are sufficiently defined, and the community's next steps to ensure continuity and accountability. We also highlight certain structural concerns and suggest improvements, all in the spirit of constructively refining the draft. Finally, we conclude with our general support for this important process. The remainder of this e-mail addresses detailed structural, legal, and governance recommendations and should be reviewed in full. Key Structural Deficiencies and a Proposed Path Forward This draft represents an attempt by the numbering community to self-regulate. However, it fails to resolve the central legal conflict of the RIR system: the supremacy of RIRs' local legal incorporation over the "global policy" and community consensus this draft purports to enforce. Summary of Core Deficiencies 1. The "Local Law" Supremacy Clause (Sec. 4.1(i)): The draft grants RIRs an explicit "carve-out" to ignore any global policy or draft provision if it conflicts with "any applicable law" [Sec 4.1(i)]. This single clause invalidates the entire framework, rendering it advisory rather than binding, and explicitly permits the very capture and fragmentation it was meant to prevent. 2. The "Implementation Procedures" Black Box (Sec. 1.3): The draft defers critical, substantive details of governance, compliance, and continuity to "Implementation Procedures". These procedures are to be developed later, solely by "the RIRs and ICANN", with no explicit guarantee of the "open, transparent, bottom-up" community process mandated for other policies [Sec 4.1(h)]. This is an unacceptable risk, creating a vector for capture and dilution of intent for this draft. 3. Ineffective Accountability Triggers (Sec. 2.4, 4.2): The member-initiated triggers for audits and derecognition—set at "25% of the RIR's total Members or 2,000 Members, whichever is lesser" [Sec 2.3(b)(i)(B), Sec 2.4(b)]—are prohibitively high. They are a defense for incumbents, not a tool for the stated goal of "member-driven oversight". Equally 5% or 100 members is too low and opens the door for organizational capture. 4. A Weak and Reactive Continuity Model (Art. 5): The "Emergency Continuity" plan is dangerously underdeveloped. It is reactive, requiring unanimous agreement from all other RIRs and ICANN after a failure has already occurred [Sec 5.1(a)], rather than a proactive, funded, and tested system. This lags significantly behind the contractual, secure models used in the domain name community. We already have clear examples where ICANN failed to act in response to the AFRINIC crisis. Continuity is paramount and all industry participants must have a clear understanding of their role in continuity. Proposed Path Forward The NRO NC, having now received substantive community feedback, has completed its analysis. The next essential step is to move from drafting to adjudication. We formally request the NRO NC to conclude their drafting and engage the leadership of ICANN and each of the five RIR Executive Boards, asking them to clearly and publicly articulate to the community any objections they may have to this draft as written. This will bring any private objections (e.g., to removing the "local law" carve-out) into the open and create a transparent, documented basis for resolving these final, critical issues. Foundational Legal Basis and Structural Flaws: A Legal Analysis This section serves as our legal brief on the draft standing and core flaws. The Draft’s Legal Standing: A Multilateral Agreement, Not an enforceable "Law" The draft’s preamble, which states it is an "initiative led by the NRO Number Council (NRO NC), also serving as the ASO Address Council (ASO AC)" highlights a foundational legal ambiguity. The Number Resource Organization (NRO) is an unincorporated "coordinating body for the five RIRs". It is, in effect, a trade association. It has no independent legal personality or authority to create binding "policy” or “laws" for its members (the RIRs) or for ICANN. It has no accountability to any community as it cannot enter into any legal contracts. Any substantial obligation the NRO undertakes requires the explicit agreement and signatures of all five RIRs. This structure still has substantial anti-trust and competition concerns. The Address Supporting Organization (ASO) is an official Supporting Organization within the ICANN structure. Its role and relationship with ICANN are defined by the ASO Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The relationship between these bodies is the source of profound conflicts of interest and transparency failures. The RIRs created the NRO, which then, via the 2004 (and 2019) ASO MoU, fulfills the role of the ASO. This "dual-hatting" means the RIRs' coordination body is also the body meant to provide independent policy advice to ICANN specifically about numbering and RIR governance–This is a textbook unmitigated conflict of interest. Therefore, this draft cannot be a "law." Its only path to legal force is, as defined in its own Article 7.1, "the unanimous agreement of ICANN and the RIRs". This draft must be treated as a proposed binding, multilateral agreement—a contract—between ICANN and the five RIR legal entities. This framing is essential for understanding why the loopholes and carve-outs it contains are so dangerous. It is not a policy; it is the charter for the system's operation. Currently, ICANN is a vendor to the RIRs via a contract the RIRs have with PTI which is part of ICANN. As we would consider trusted neutral 3rd parties to support audits, continuity, and recognition we might envision an expansion of this relationship to provide the many services such as the emergency backup or even a party to manage RIR recognition and conduct de-recognition processes if ever needed. This all must be contractual to be enforceable. The Fatal Flaw: Section 4.1(i) and the "Local Law" Carve-Out The core of the community's concern is correctly identified as Section 4.1(i). The clause states an RIR must comply with policies "so long as those Number Resource Policies do not obligate the RIR to violate any applicable law" [Sec 4.1(i)]. This subordinates the entire global framework to the local judiciary of any RIR's headquarters. This concern is often raised regarding RIPE NCC, which is incorporated as a membership association under Dutch law. The concern that RIPE NCC's structure prevents accountability is correct in principle, the problem is the RIPE NCC's obligation to comply with Dutch law over global policy. Research confirms that RIPE NCC, as a Dutch association, is subject to Dutch court orders and has been compelled by them in the past. Under Section 4.1(i) as written, a single Dutch court order could force RIPE NCC to violate a global policy, and this draft would explicitly permit it. This nullifies the concept of "global" policy and accountability, creating five different legal regimes (USA, Netherlands, Mauritius, Brazil, Australia) instead of one. Recommendation: This carve-out must be removed. The draft’s "Rectification" clause (Sec. 7.2) must be inverted. It should not be a "grace period" for RIRs to comply; it must be a mandatory "cure period" during which an RIR must effect any structural or legal changes necessary (e.g., changes to its articles of association or corporate form) to achieve compliance with the global draft. This is the only way to establish the supremacy of the global multistakeholder consensus over local legal structures. Note the domain name industry has already accomplished this with their structure with ICANN. The RIRs need for autonomy has opened the existing structure to anti-trust, jurisdictional, competitive, capture, and other vulnerabilities. Separation of Governance and Policy A foundational principle of good governance is the separation of the rules of the system (governance) from the outputs of the system (policy). This draft fails to maintain that separation. This draft is a governance document. It establishes the entities, their obligations, and the accountability mechanisms. "Global Policies" are policy outputs related to number resources, developed via the Policy Development Process (PDP) [Sec 1.1, Sec 4.1(h)]. By including the Section 4.1(i) "carve-out" for policies, the draft co-mingles these two distinct layers. It allows a local legal challenge to a policy to invalidate the governance commitment. Recommendation: This draft must be finalized as the Master Governance Agreement for the RIR System. Its sole purpose should be to define the rules, recognition, and accountability of the RIRs themselves. It should simply state that RIRs must comply with Global Policies developed through the ICANN/ASO process with no legal carve-outs. This separates the charter of the system from the policies that run on it. Analysis of Community Protections: Accountability, Transparency, and Continuity Proposals for robust anti-capture, continuity, and transparency measures were not meaningfully integrated into this draft. Accountability and Anti-Capture (Failure) The triggers for an ad-hoc audit (Sec. 2.4) or a derecognition proposal (Sec. 2.3) based on member action are "at least 25% of the RIR's total Members or 2,000 Members, whichever is lesser" [Sec 2.3(b)(i)(B), Sec 2.4(b)]. These thresholds are not an accountability tool; they are an impenetrable shield for RIR management and boards. The language supporting an ICANN triggered audit lacks clear direction and undermines ICANNs ability to trigger an audit requiring RIR approvals. There should be pre-determined rules that are open an transparent to direct the audit triggers. 1. RIPE NCC has approximately 20,000 members. 25% would be 5,000. The trigger is therefore 2,000 members. 2. ARIN has approximately 7,000 voting members. 25% is 1,750. 3. Organizing 2,000 (or 1,750) distinct corporate entities to sign a formal petition is a massive, expensive, and politically fraught undertaking. 4. Equally 5% or 100 members is far too low and opens organizational capture. This threshold makes the draft’s stated goal of "member-driven oversight" a fiction. Recommendation: These triggers are a clear sign of incumbent capture. They must be dramatically lowered to a realistic level and supplemented by an independent, system-wide Ombudsman with the power to initiate an audit. Transparency (Failure) Greater transparency into the relationship between the NRO, the ICANN ASO, and the RIRs is a core community demand. There must be clear and delineated lines of responsibility for each entity without overlap. This draft worsens this problem by accepting the conflated "NRO NC, also serving as the ASO AC" without question or definition. The ASO MoU is the only thing giving the NRO this power, yet this draft fails to clarify the lines of authority, funding, and legal liability between the RIRs (who fund everything), the NRO (their unincorporated agent), and the ASO (their ICANN mask). Furthermore, the community requires that "any meetings should be open," especially "working sessions." • Problem: Section 1.3 states the RIRs and ICANN will jointly develop the "Implementation Procedures". It does not state this development is subject to the "open, transparent, bottom-up" PDP mandated in Section 4.1(h). Or that this will include any community involvement, oversight, or participation. • Risk: This allows the RIRs and ICANN to create the real rules of the system in closed-door negotiations, bypassing the community. This is a primary vector for capture, manipulations, and deception. Recommendation: 1. This draft must mandate a formal, public charter clarifying the NRO-ASO relationship, its funding by the RIRs, and its legal status. 2. Section 1.3 must be amended to state explicitly that all "Implementation Procedures" are subject to a full community consultation and consensus process before they can be adopted by the RIRs and ICANN. 3. The ASO, NRO, RIRs, etc must be separate entities each conducting their specific purpose. Only through this separation can we remove conflicts and anti-competitive issues. Continuity and Data Security (Failure) The community requires confirmation of "Continuity, database security and protection against capture while protecting against monopoly." Article 5 ("Emergency Continuity") and Section 4.1(m) (Continuity) are the draft’s response, and they are wholly inadequate. • Section 4.1(m) requires RIRs to "share such records, data... with an Emergency Operator" [Sec 4.1(m)]. This is a vague promise, not a secure, audited, and tested data escrow program. Properly funded, regularly submitted escrow property, and on-going tests to verify data integrity and ability to recover from this escrow data. • Article 5 requires a unanimous vote of all other RIRs and ICANN to initiate an emergency continuity event [Sec 5.1(a)]. This is slow, political, and unworkable in a real crisis (e.g., a board capture, catastrophic financial failure, or government seizure). This is not a continuity plan; it is a political "last resort" trigger. It provides no real-time security for the registry database, which is a critical global resource. As drafted this does not maintain the security and stability of the Internet. The "Hasty" IANA Transition and the Domain Community Standard The numbering community's governance model, as reflected in this draft, is demonstrably weaker, less secure, and provides fewer protections against capture and failure than the domain community's model. This reflects a "hasty" approach during the IANA transition that prioritized RIR autonomy over global community accountability. The Domain Community Model (ICANN Contractual Compliance) • Accountability: gTLD registries and registrars operate under direct, legally-binding contracts (the Registry Agreement and Registrar Accreditation Agreement) with ICANN. ICANN has a dedicated Contractual Compliance department to enforce these terms. • Continuity (EBERO): The domain community has the Emergency Back-End Registry Operator (EBERO) program. This is a proactive, funded, and testedsystem. ICANN has contracts with third-party operators to take over "Critical Functions" (DNS resolution, Shared Registration System, Registration Data Directory Services, Data Escrow) in the event of a registry failure. This system has been activated to protect registrants. The Numbering Community Model (This Draft) • Accountability: A "collegial" model based on "good faith" 1 and unanimous consent of peers (the other RIRs) to initiate an audit or derecognition [Sec 2.3(b)(v), Sec 2.4(a)]. This is peer protection, not public accountability. • Continuity: A reactive model (Article 5) that requires a unanimous political vote during an emergency. Conclusion & Recommendation: The numbering community's governance must be brought up to the standard set by the domain community. We recommend that Article 5 and Section 4.1(m) be removed and replaced with a mandate for the RIRs and ICANN to jointly develop and fund a formal, EBERO-equivalent program for the Internet Numbers Registry System. This program must ensure proactive, secure data escrow, defined technical triggers for activation (not requiring RIR peer-unanimity), and a funded, contracted, independent operator ready to ensure service continuity.This can be under the legal framework that exists with ICANN, PTI, and the RIRs today. But should be re-evaluated in the future to evolve this to the benefit of number resource registrants. Conclusion and Formal Next Steps We thank the NRO NC for its work in stewarding this draft. The community has now provided exhaustive feedback identifying critical, structural flaws. Further drafting by the same group will not solve these high-level political and legal impasses. The time for community drafting is over; the time for leadership commitment has begun. We formally request that the NRO NC, as the convenor of this process, now execute the following transparent, "top-down" finalization process: 1. Engage Leadership: Formally transmit this draft (and a summary of community objections) to the ICANN Board and the Executive Boards of all five RIRs. 2. Request Public Comment: Request that each of these six bodies provide a formal, public, on-the-record response to the community, articulating: o Their official position on the draft. o Any specific objections they have to the draft as written, especially regarding: • The removal of the "local law" carve-out (Sec. 4.1(i)). • The mandate for community oversight of "Implementation Procedures" (Sec. 1.3). • The strengthening of accountability triggers (Sec. 2.4, 4.2). • The mandate to create a formal EBERO-equivalent continuity program (Art. 5). 1. Document and Resolve: Publicly document all objections and establish a final, open, and transparent process (with open working sessions, as requested by the community) to adjudicate and resolve these specific, documented objections. This is the only path to a final, binding document that the community can trust. We must not defer these fundamental conflicts to "Implementation Procedures" to be solved in secret, at a later date. The risk of capture is too high, and the security and stability of the Internet Numbers Registry System is too important. We look forward to participating in this next, critical phase of the process. Sincerely, William Sylvester William has been a member of the global Internet community for nearly 30 years. He has actively contributed to RIR policy development, chaired working groups, support committees, and served as Chair of the RIPE Community Accountability Task Force after the IANA Stewardship Transition. William began his career at the InterNIC, helped launch ARIN in 1997, assisted in establishing the DNS Registry System in 1998, and was a member of the Whitehouse sponsored President’s Committee on Internet and Security in the early 2000s. Recommended Further Reading and Supporting Documents 1. The current v2 DRAFT RIR-Governance-Document-v2-FINAL.pdf, https://www.nro.net/wp-content/uploads/RIR-Governance-Document-v2-FINAL.pdf 2. Emergency Back-end Registry Operator - icann, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/registry-operators/resources/em… 3. Safe and Secure New gTLDs: ICANN Seeks Back-up Registry Operators | (Emergency Back-End Registry Operators or "EBEROs"), accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/safe-and-secure-new-gtlds-ic… 4. Registry Transition Processes - icann, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.icann.org/registry-transition-processes-en 5. What is the relationship between the ASO and the NRO | The Address Supporting ... - icann, accessed November 6, 2025, https://aso.icann.org/faq/what-is-the-relationship-between-the-aso-and-the-… 6. ASO & NRO | The Address Supporting Organization (ASO ICANN), accessed November 6, 2025, https://aso.icann.org/about/aso-and-nro/ 7. The Address Supporting Organization (ASO ICANN), accessed November 6, 2025, https://aso.icann.org/about/aso-icann/ 8. ICANN ASO MoU 2019 | The Number Resource Organization, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.nro.net/icann-aso-mou-2019/ 9. ICANN – ASO MoU (2019) | The Address Supporting Organization (ASO ICANN), accessed November 6, 2025, https://aso.icann.org/documents/memorandums-of-understanding/icann-address-… 10. ASO Memorandum of Understanding | The Address Supporting Organization (ASO ICANN), accessed November 6, 2025, https://aso.icann.org/documents/memorandums-of-understanding/aso-memorandum… 11. NRO Number Council - American Registry for Internet Numbers - ARIN, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.arin.net/about/welcome/nronc/ 12. RIPE NCC Website and Publicly Available RIPE NCC Services Terms of Service, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.ripe.net/about-us/legal/terms-of-service/ 13. RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-812/ 14. RIPE NCC Conflict Arbitration Procedure — RIPE Network ..., accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-844/ 15. Update on Court Proceedings Between RIPE NCC and State of the Netherlands, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.ripe.net/about-us/news/update-on-court-proceedings-between-ripe… 16. A First for the RIPE NCC: Seizure of the “Right to Registration of IPv4 Addresses” for the Recovery of Money, accessed November 6, 2025, https://labs.ripe.net/author/ciaran_byrne/a-first-for-the-ripe-ncc-seizure-… 17. Seizing IP addresses in the Netherlands as a security for your damages claims in international litigation - Taylor Wessing, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.taylorwessing.com/en/insights-and-events/insights/2023/07/seizi… 18. About Registrars - ICANN, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/what-2013-05-03-en 19. gTLD Registry Continuity - icann, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/registry-operators/resources/em… 20. ICANN to Move Four gTLDs Into the Emergency Back-End Registry Operator Program, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-to-move-four-gtlds-int… 21. Fact Sheet: The IANA Stewardship Transition Explained, https://www.ntia.gov/other-publication/fact-sheet-iana-stewardship-transiti… 22. Proposal to Transition the Stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Functions, https://www.ianacg.org/icg-files/documents/IANA-transition-proposal-final.p…

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ICP-2 consultation reminder
by herve.clement＠orange.com 06 Nov '25

06 Nov '25

Dear all, We would like to remind you that Friday, 7 November is the deadline to submit input on the second draft of the "RIR Governance Document": https://www.nro.net/policy/internet-coordination-policy-2/rir-governance-do… The NRO NC will meet in person over 12-14 November to discuss the feedback received across all RIR and ICANN communities, therefore it will not be possible to accommodate requests to extend the deadline. Thank you to everyone who has made the effort to review the document and share feedback so far. Regards, Hervé, Constanze and Andrei Orange Restricted ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ce message et ses pieces jointes peuvent contenir des informations confidentielles ou privilegiees et ne doivent donc pas etre diffuses, exploites ou copies sans autorisation. Si vous avez recu ce message par erreur, veuillez le signaler a l'expediteur et le detruire ainsi que les pieces jointes. Les messages electroniques etant susceptibles d'alteration, Orange decline toute responsabilite si ce message a ete altere, deforme ou falsifie. Merci. This message and its attachments may contain confidential or privileged information that may be protected by law; they should not be distributed, used or copied without authorisation. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and delete this message and its attachments. As emails may be altered, Orange is not liable for messages that have been modified, changed or falsified. Thank you.

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Welcoming the new RIPE Chair Team
by Hans Petter Holen 06 Nov '25

06 Nov '25

Dear colleagues, I am pleased to announce that our new RIPE Chair team has now officially started their five-year term as of RIPE 91, which took place in Bucharest from 20-24 October 2025. Mirjam Kühne will continue in her role as RIPE Chair, and Anna Wilson will be the new RIPE Vice Chair. On behalf of the RIPE NCC, I extend a warm welcome to our new RIPE Chair team. I would also like to extend my thanks to Niall O'Reilly for having served the community as the RIPE Vice Chair for the past five years. Niall, your thoughtfulness and near encyclopaedic knowledge of RIPE and how it has evolved has been invaluable. Thank you again for your work. My sincere thanks to Jan Zorz for serving as the Chair of the RIPE NomCom and leading the RIPE Chair selection process as well as all the NomCom volunteers and liaisons who contributed their time to this important community process, and to all the RIPE Chair and Vice Chair nominees. Hans Petter Holen CEO and Managing Director RIPE NCC

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"Thanks for all the fish"
by Niall O'Reilly 05 Nov '25

05 Nov '25

Dear colleagues, dear friends, So many of you showed me generous affection and appreciation last week in Bucharest at RIPE91, as I stepped down as Vice-Chair of our wonderful RIPE community, and handed over the responsibility to Anna Wilson. I want to thank you all, and to wish Anna and Mirjam every good wish for their term as RIPE Chair Team. I am sure that their term will be challenging, rewarding, and good for us all. Míle buíochas daoibh uilig. Niall PS. Of course, you've not seen the last of me yet! /N

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The RIPE Chair Team Reports - Highlights from RIPE 91
by Mirjam Kuehne 31 Oct '25

31 Oct '25

Dear colleagues, In this new article on RIPE labs, we give you some updates from the RIPE 91 Meeting, share highlights from the sessions, present some policy changes and ongoing discussions, and ask you for feedback: https://labs.ripe.net/author/mirjam_kuhne/the-ripe-chair-team-reports-highl… Kind regards, Mirjam Kühne (RIPE Chair)

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First RIPE Code of Conduct Survey
by Andrew McConachie 30 Oct '25

30 Oct '25

Dear all, The RIPE Code of Conduct Team has launched its first Code of Conduct survey to understand how safe people feel at RIPE meetings and how likely they are to report concerns. If you have a moment to answer five quick, anonymous questions - your input will shape what we improve next. We have more details on the background to this work in the RIPE Labs article: https://labs.ripe.net/author/amcconachie/announcing-the-first-ripe-code-of-… But if you want to dive straight into the survey, it's available at: https://forms.gle/fyp9eCzy7jLzdh2m9 Best regards, Andrew McConachie - on behalf of the RIPE Code of Conduct Team

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Register Now for RIPE 92!
by Meeting Mailbox 28 Oct '25

28 Oct '25

Dear colleagues, You can now register for the RIPE 92 Meeting! Onsite: https://ripe92.ripe.net/register/attend-onsite/ Online: https://ripe92.ripe.net/register/participate-online/ RIPE 92 will take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Scotland, from 18-22 May 2026. ------------------ Ticket Options ------------------ Week ticket: EUR 400 (Early Bird €350) Day ticket: EUR 130 (Early Bird €125) Student (week) ticket: EUR 50 Dinner Ticket: EUR 75 The early bird rate is available until 20 February 2026. You can find more information about ticket options at: https://ripe92.ripe.net/register/attend-onsite/ ---------------------------- Call for Presentations --------------------------- The Call for Presentations will open on 12 November 2025. The RIPE Programme Committee (PC) will be seeking content proposals from the RIPE community for the plenary sessions, BoFs (Birds of Feather sessions), workshops, tutorials and lightning talks. Proposals must be submitted for full consideration no later than 9 March 2026. The deadline to submit lightning talks is 4 May 2026. ---------------------- Call for Sponsors ----------------------- Supporting a RIPE Meeting through sponsorship gives your organisation fantastic exposure in the global Internet community. Get in touch with the RIPE Meeting team if you are interested in sponsoring RIPE 92: https://ripe92.ripe.net/about/sponsors/ --------------- Local Hubs --------------- Not everyone can travel to Edinburgh to attend RIPE 92 in person. Want to help bring the RIPE community together in your area? Host a Local Hub! https://ripe92.ripe.net/attend/local-hubs/ ------------- Fellowship ------------ The RIPE Fellowship is a learning journey designed to support new voices from across our service region to find their place in the RIPE community and become active participants. Applications are open until 10 December 2025. More information: https://www.ripe.net/community/community-initiatives/ripe-fellowship/ ------------- RACI ------------ The RIPE Academic Cooperation Initiative (RACI) covers the cost of the meeting ticket, travel and accommodation for successful applicants to present their research at RIPE 92. Apply before 23 February 2026 at: https://www.ripe.net/community/community-initiatives/raci/ ---------------------- Mentoring Programme ---------------------- For the past 25 years, RIPE Meetings have brought together thousands of people interested in Internet operations, policy and governance. As the RIPE community evolves, it is important that everyone feels welcome and comfortable participating, regardless of technical ability or career level. Want to be a mentor or find one? For more information about how to become a mentor or be paired with a mentor, visit: https://ripe92.ripe.net/attend/mentoring-programme/ ------------- Accommodation ------------- Due to the limited number of rooms available, please book your accommodation soon: https://ripe92.ripe.net/on-site/accommodation/ ----------------------------------- Important Dates and Deadlines ------------------------------------ 8 October: Call for Fellowship (RIPE 92 & 93) opens 24 October: Registration opens 24 October: Call for RACI applications opens 24 October: Call for Local Hubs opens 12 November: Call for presentations opens 10 December: Fellowship deadline 20 February: Early bird registration deadline 23 February: RACI deadline 9 March: Deadline to submit a talk 13 April: Mentoring application deadline 13 April: Childcare application deadline 13 April: Local Hub application deadline 20 April: Final programme published 24 April: Sponsorship deadline 4 May: Lighting Talk submissions accepted 8 May: Deadline to send recorded presentations 18 May – 22 May: RIPE 92 takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland More information about RIPE 92 can be found at: https://ripe92.ripe.net/ Track the #RIPE92 hashtag on social media for the latest updates. See you in Edinburgh! Kind Regards, The Meeting Organisation Team

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RIPE 91 Highlights and Thank You
by Mirjam Kühne 24 Oct '25

24 Oct '25

Dear colleagues, RIPE 91 ended with a total of 485 participants checked in onsite and another 180 participants online. Thank you all for making this RIPE Meeting such a success! We were happy to see active participation at this meeting from both online and onsite participants. We would like to thank all the speakers, Working Group Chairs, the Programme Committee, the Code of Conduct Team and our host and sponsors for their contributions. Over the past week, we have had many exciting plenary sessions, lightning talks, Working Group sessions, BoFs and social events. You can find the highlights from each day in the Daily Meeting Blog at: https://ripe91.ripe.net/programme/daily-meeting-blog/ All presentations from the meeting are archived. You can watch the recordings and read the chat logs and the stenography transcripts, all linked from the Meeting Plan: https://ripe91.ripe.net/programme/meeting-plan/ You can already register for RIPE 92, taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland from 18-22 May 2026. The call for presentations will open in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for the announcement! You can get updates via the RIPE Discussion list, social media and the RIPE 92 website: https://ripe92.ripe.net Best regards, Mirjam Kühne, RIPE Chair, Niall O’Reilly, RIPE Vice-Chair Emeritus and Anna Wilson, RIPE Vice-Chair

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NRO NC October 2025 Election Results
by Hans Petter Holen 24 Oct '25

24 Oct '25

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce that Constanze Bürger has been elected to the Number Resource Organization Number Council (NRO NC) during RIPE 91, held from 20 - 24 October 2025. Constanze will serve a three-year term starting in January 2026 and ending in December 2028. Details on the NRO NC are available here: https://www.ripe.net/community/nro-nc/nro-nc/ The voting report is also available here: https://www.ripe.net/community/nro-nc/nro-nc-nominations-october-2025/ Congratulations Constanze on your election to the NRO NC! Kind regards, Hans Petter Holen Managing Director and CEO RIPE NCC

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Draft RIR Governance Document: Preliminary Assessment Document Published
by Ulka Athale 21 Oct '25

21 Oct '25

This message is sent on behalf of the Number Resource Organization (NRO) The original announcement can be found at: https://www.nro.net/preliminary-assessment-document-published/ -------------------------------- The preliminary assessment of the draft RIR Governance Document for the Recognition, Operation, and Derecognition of Regional Internet Registries (RIR Governance Document) is now available on the NRO website: https://www.nro.net/preliminary-assessment-document-published/ The revised draft document was evaluated by the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) in order to provide the global Internet community with an overview of possible accompanying implementation requirements that will need to be developed once the document has been adopted. Each RIR will be expected to carry out its own detailed assessment once the document has been adopted. Please also note that while the RIRs offer a range of services to their members and communities, for the purposes of this assessment, only the ‘RIR Services’ as defined in the document are considered to be in scope. We hope this assessment is helpful in understanding the impact of the proposed RIR governance document on the existing RIRs, as well as the steps that will be needed following its adoption and implementation. Regards, Hans Petter Holen Chair NRO EC The Number Resource Organization --------- Kind regards, Ulka Athale RIPE NCC www.ripe.net

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