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ICP-2 Review

ICP-2: Consultation on RIR Governance Document

Background

In October 2023, the Number Resource Organization Executive Council (NRO EC) tasked the Number Resource Organization Number Council (NRO NC), acting as the Address Supporting Organization Address Council (ASO AC), with managing the review and update of the Internet Coordination Policy 2: Criteria for Establishment of New Regional Internet Registries (ICP-2).

The proposed updates focus on:

  • Expanding governance, ecosystem, and operational criteria
  • Clarifying the lifecycle of RIR recognition and responsibilities
  • Defining principles for potential RIR derecognition if obligations are not met

Why is it important?

First developed in 2001, the ICP-2 defines the criteria for establishing and recognizing RIRs. It remains a vital framework for maintaining the overall health and governance of the Internet. The ICP-2 review and revision aims to uphold the stability and self-governance of the Internet numbers registry system by ensuring the document remains aligned with the principles needed to assess and recognize new RIRs in today’s evolving Internet environment.

How we got here

  • October–December 2024

    Community feedback was collected via a public questionnaire on the draft principles.

  • February 2025

    The NRO published a summary of responses and key insights from the consultation.

  • February – April 2025

    The ASO AC developed a draft of the revised ICP-2 document, reflecting the review of the questionnaire feedback.

  • April – May 2025

    The document: ‘Governance Document for the Recognition, Maintenance, and Derecognition of Regional Internet Registries’ is available for public comment.

  • Q3 – Q4 2025

    The NRO NC will review all feedback received from both the RIR communities and the ICANN public comment process on the draft document. Based on this input, any additional edits deemed necessary will be incorporated into an updated version. The NRO NC will then work with the NRO EC to publish and present the revised draft for further community review through upcoming RIR meetings and other NRO and RIR communication channels.

For more detailed information on the process and timeline, please visit the NRO website or watch this explainer video.

How you can participate

The feedback period on the proposed ‘Governance Document for the Recognition, Maintenance, and Derecognition of Regional Internet Registries‘ (RIR Governance Document) was open from 14 April to 27 May 2025.

Participants were asked to share their comments, keeping in mind the following:

  • Sharing feedback that is specific to this draft. Constructive comments were highly appreciated.
  • In particular, we were interested in hearing your views on:
    • The new requirements of the draft.
    • Whether the draft provides sufficient clarity regarding the ongoing obligations of an RIR and the remediation steps if those obligations are not met.

Please note, the revised document did not address the implementation of RIR criteria; comments on implementation will be considered out of scope.

The NRO NC received valuable feedback on the RIR Governance Document and will consider feedback received from the RIR communities as well as the ICANN Public Comment process and use it to inform the next draft. The NRO NC will publish the next draft for review to the RIR and ICANN communities in the later months of 2025.

To view the feedback received on the draft RIR Governance Document from the APNIC region, please view the archives of the ICP-2 Review mailing list. More information on the feedback received from the other RIR regions is available on the NRO website.

Webinars

The APNIC Secretariat held online community consultation sessions where APNIC Members and the community were welcome to ask questions and provide feedback on the RIR Governance Document.

Webinar 1 was held on Wednesday, 30 April 2025 at 14:00 (UTC +10). The recording is available.

Webinar 2 was held on Thursday, 15 May at 14:00 (UTC +10). The recording is available.

Webinar 3 (NIRs-only) was held on Tuesday, 20 May at 14:00 (UTC +10). The recording is available.

Your views are important

The APNIC Executive Council (EC) is committed to the inclusion of the APNIC community’s views in the ICP-2 review consultation process.

A community-wide consultation process is essential for maintaining the stability and self-governance of the Internet numbers registry system and we look forward to receiving your feedback in the ICP-2 Review Orbit mailing list.