Consultation on Draft ‘Governance Document for the Recognition, Maintenance, and Derecognition of Regional Internet Registries’

Andrei Robachevsky contributed to this post, on behalf of the NRO NC.

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 (RIRs). This updated document is titled 'Governance Document for the Recognition, Maintenance, and Derecognition of Regional Internet Registries ' (RIR Governance Document) and is available to view.

We now invite your input on this draft.

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. 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. 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.

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.

The deadline to submit your feedback is 27 May 2025.

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.

For APNIC community participation, please share your feedback in the ICP-2 Review mailing list on Orbit (subscription required). More information on other RIR consultations is available on the NRO website.

Join a session

All the planned sessions during which the NRO NC 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.

Nick Nugent is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee, where he teaches Internet Law, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and Property. Nick is also currently serving as the Vice Chair of the NRO NC.

The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.