APNIC community engagement: July-December 2025 in review

Community Trainer Epeli Tagi ran the Network Management and Monitoring Workshop during PacNOG 36.

From July to December 2025, network operators, policy contributors, technical experts, educators, and community leaders across the Asia Pacific region worked together to strengthen the foundations of the Internet. Across economies large and small, the community focused on practical deployment, shared learning, and inclusive participation. These efforts advanced IPv6, routing security, interconnection, capacity development, and Internet governance across the region.

Below is a snapshot of how this collective effort unfolded, and why it matters.

Community connections

Across the region, APNIC Fellow alumni reconnected with one another, helping to carry forward experience and community knowledge. Alumni who had once navigated the fellowship journey themselves stepped back into the community, offering mentorship and insights grounded in lived experience.

APNIC hosted five alumni catch-ups in Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and the Solomon Islands, creating space for reflection and renewed collaboration. These gatherings helped bridge generations of community members, reinforcing a sense of continuity and shared ownership of regional capacity development. Building on this momentum, further alumni-led engagement activities are planned for 2026.

Community voices shaping governance and accountability

In 2025, community consultations played a central role in shaping how Internet governance structures evolve to reflect present-day realities.

From August to November, operators, civil society, governments, and technical stakeholders contributed to discussions to update the Governance Document for the Recognition, Operation, and Derecognition of Regional Internet Registries (RIR Governance Document Version 2) during two community consultations hosted by APNIC with APNIC's ASO AC representatives.

APNIC Members and the community also contributed to the proposed by-law reforms concerning APNIC's Executive Council (EC) term limits, prompting thoughtful discussion about leadership renewal, continuity, and diversity. These conversations will culminate in a community vote at APNIC 61 in Jakarta, demonstrating how participatory governance remains a living, community-driven process.

These consultations helped surface practical considerations around accountability, transparency, and sustainability, ensuring governance frameworks remain relevant and trusted.

Building practical skills and sustainable capacity

Throughout the second half of the year, engineers, operators, and institutions across the region continued to build hands-on technical skills that directly support Internet resilience and growth.

APNIC Academy training and capacity-building efforts focused increasingly on core Internet resource management, such as IPv6 and RPKI, while continuing to collaborate with local Community Trainers and partners on infrastructure initiatives, including root-server deployments and Internet Exchange Point (IXP) development. This focus reflects a shared understanding that scalable addressing, secure routing, and local interconnection are foundational to long-term Internet sustainability.

During this period, thousands of participants strengthened their skills through in-person training and online learning via the APNIC Academy, while the APNIC training team supported the real-world deployment needs of APNIC Members through the technical assistance program.

The deployment of RIPE Atlas anchors and new M-Root instances across Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, and Romania further expanded measurement capability and infrastructure resilience, benefitting both local and global Internet operations.

Routing security through shared action

Routing security continued to advance through collaboration between network operators, trainers, and local communities. Practical RPKI training sessions conducted by APNIC across economies such as the Philippines, Pakistan, Myanmar, and China enabled participants to move towards implementation.

APNIC also presented at regional Network Operator Group (NOG) meetings to raise awareness of the operational and security benefits of RPKI. Through the exchange of knowledge of operational experiences and lessons learned at these forums, the community strengthened collective confidence in RPKI adoption, contributing to a more secure and trustworthy routing environment across the region.

Interconnection and local traffic exchange

Efforts to improve local interconnection, focused on both awareness and hands-on operational readiness, continued. In the Philippines, APNIC supported operators and engineers across Cebu, Manila, and Davao City who came together during the IXperience Roadshow to build practical skills and deepen their understanding of the value of IXPs.

In Vanuatu, collaboration between local stakeholders and regional partners supported meaningful upgrades to the existing IX when APNIC partnered with the Internet Society (ISOC) and OGCIO teams to deliver an IXP workshop in Vanuatu.

Improvements such as a member portal, traffic visibility, and RPKI Route Origin Validation (ROV) enhanced operational maturity, enabling ISPs to migrate towards more resilient and efficient local interconnection. A partnership with MyIX led to a training delivery for their members on network security. These partnerships continued to strengthen network security practices among members.

Regional cybersecurity collaboration

Across the Asia Pacific region, CERTs and CSIRTs strengthened their relationships, tested their readiness, and built practical response capabilities. APNIC joined government agencies, operators, and security professionals to address shared cybersecurity risks and improve coordination.

Across the Pacific and South Asia, local communities advanced their cybersecurity capacity through hands-on boot camps in Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Tonga, and table-top exercises led with CERT Kiribati. In Fiji, members of the Critical Infrastructure Security Community came together for a three-day workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Policing and Communication. In Bhutan, the national community marked Cybersecurity Awareness Month through a locally led event in partnership with BtCIRT.

These engagements reinforced the critical role that trusted national and regional security communities play in protecting digital infrastructure. Regional collaboration through APCERT further supported knowledge exchange and peer learning, demonstrating the power of collective action in addressing cybersecurity challenges.

A pivotal year for Internet governance

As global discussions turned to the WSIS+20 review and the future of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the Asia Pacific technical community played an active role in shaping the conversation. Community input emphasized the importance of defending a global, interoperable Internet against fragmentation through inclusive, multistakeholder cooperation.

APNIC represented the community by delivering statements and providing written input during the UN Consultations with Stakeholders hosted by the UN Co-Facilitators for the WSIS+20 review process in June, October, and November. In October, APNIC welcomed the 'Zero Draft' of the WSIS+20 review and urged that the outcome include stronger commitments to deploy IPv6, support community-owned networks and IXPs, and build technical capacity, all essential to strengthening Internet infrastructure and enabling sustainable Internet growth.

Finally, with the publication of the first revision of the WSIS+20 Outcome Document in November, APNIC expressed support for the codification of a permanent IGF, reinforced multistakeholder participation across governments, civil society, the private sector, technical and academic communities, and supported the inclusion of guidelines (such as NETmundial+10) promoting consensus-based collaboration and balanced representation in Internet governance.

These contributions reflect a region that is not only implementing Internet infrastructure but also helping to shape the principles that govern its future.

Policy development participation

Policy development remained an open and community-driven process. During the APNIC 60 Open Policy Meeting (OPM) in Da Nang, Viet Nam, participants discussed proposals addressing whois privacy, RPKI certificate authority management, and transparency of directory service usage.

Consensus reached on three proposals, outlined below, demonstrated the community's ability to balance operational efficiency, security, and accountability:

Ongoing discussion on other proposals highlights the strength of the policy process as a forum for careful deliberation and shared decision-making. The next Open Policy Meeting at APNIC 61 in Jakarta continues this tradition of inclusive participation.

Engagement by the numbers

These figures reflect a community that is engaged, well-connected, and working together to help build a stronger and more secure Internet.

Looking ahead

At the beginning of 2026, the Asia Pacific Internet community stands on a foundation of shared learning, strengthened infrastructure, and deepening collaboration. The progress made this year reflects collective effort, and the opportunities ahead will depend on continued participation, feedback, and partnership.

Community voices remain essential. Through training, policy discussion, technical collaboration, and governance engagement, the next chapter of this story will continue to be written together.

For the latest on APNIC activities, subscribe to the APNIC Blog and Orbit, and stay up to date with local training opportunities and events across the region. Community input remains vital - share your feedback via the User Feedback Group, feedback form, or post on the User Feedback Group on Orbit.

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.