Number Resource Organization Number Council and RIR Governance Document Status Update#

Amy Potter, ASO AC Vice Chair / NRO NC

• Why: Not technical, but this is the rewrite of the constitutional document of the RIR system — including, for the first time, how an RIR gets derecognized and what happens to its registry in an emergency. After the AFRINIC governance crisis, this is where the field is heading institutionally, and it will shape who holds and administers number resources globally.
• What: A status report on Version 2 of the "RIR Governance Document" (the ICP-2 replacement), targeting finalization by Q4 2026. Key mechanics agreed or in drafting: recognition of a new RIR at "unanimity minus one" (with conflict-of-interest handling); targeted compliance reviews initiable by any group of RIRs, by 25% of an RIR's membership (or 2,000 members, whichever is lower), or by ICANN; regular audits at least every 5 years; and an Emergency Continuity procedure allowing an affected RIR to trigger continuity for itself (or others/ICANN at sub-unanimity), with an "Emergency Operator" taking over the affected RIR's services, staged transfer, and no cap on renewals.
• How: Multi-round global consultation (298 RIR questionnaire responses, two public comment rounds), with substantive issues tracked in published status reports.
• Where applicable: Global RIR system governance — affects every resource holder indirectly, and directly if you operate in a region whose RIR ever enters distress. The Emergency Operator concept is the piece to watch: it is effectively a pre-agreed continuity plan for the Internet's number registry.