Hello,
This is version 2 of the policy proposal for the Policy Development
Process. The major change in this version is Incentive Section. I
included a few notes below to clarify some questions about the first version.
Note: Policy Development Working Group is used in this document to
refer to the the mailing list subscribers and the people attending
the open policy meeting. PDPML and OPM have been added for ease of
reference. The existing policy uses the term "public open policy
meeting". The word public implies open to everyone.
Note: The email address of the mailing list is not explicitly
defined so that we do not have to modify the policy document if the
mailing list address is changed. This proposal does not require the
mailing list address to be changed.
Regards,
S. Moonesamy
Your Name: S. Moonesamy
Your Organisation:
Policy Affected: AFPUB-2008-GEN-001
Date: 23 March, 2010
Proposal: Policy Development Process in the AfriNIC service region
Incentive:
The initial policy development process (AFPUB-2004-GEN-001) used by
AfriNIC was meant to be a transitional process. A revised policy
was specified once AfriNIC was well established. The existing policy
(AFPUB-2008-GEN-001) does not specify what should be done in the
event that the co-chairs cannot attend an open policy meeting or if a
person disagrees with an action taken by the co-chair(s).
The lack of information affects the transparency of the policy
development process. It has a negative impact on the decision-making
process as issues that have been discussed and resolved on the
mailing list are reopened during the open policy meeting because the
community is not aware of the mailing list discussions. There is
also a lack of documentation about the procedures used, and the
approval and implementation of a policy.
The steps used to determine consensus leads to a situation where
comments provided during online discussions do not bear the same
weight as those made during the open policy meeting.
There is also a lack of awareness and a lack of understanding of the
principles upon which the policy development process are
based. Although the existing policy does not explicitly mention the
principles, it follows the same principles mentioned in this document.
It is proposed to revise the existing policy so that the principles
and procedures are documented. This document adds procedures to the
policy development process to deal with disputes and the recall of
the Chair. It also adds some flexibility to vary the process in the
case of an emergency.
1. Introduction
This document describes the AfriNIC Policy Development Process (PDP).
The policies are documented community decisions that directly
determine the rules by which AfriNIC manages and administers Internet
number resources.
The procedures described in this document are designed to be fair,
open and objective and are intended to:
(i) provide ample opportunity for participation and comment by all
interested parties;
(ii) establish widespread community consensus.
These procedures adopt generally accepted practices and provide the
flexibility to adapt to a variety of circumstances that can occur in
a proces. This document obsoletes AFPUB-2008-GEN-001.
2. Scope
Internet number resource policies are distinctly separate from
AfriNIC general business practices and procedures. General business
practices and procedures are not within the purview of the Policy
Development Process.
3. Policy Development Principles
All policies are developed by the Internet community following three
principles: openness, transparency and fairness.The community
initiates and discusses the proposals. Once the draft policy has the
consensus of the community, it is recommended to the AfriNIC Board of
Directors for adoption as a policy.
3.1 Openness
All policies are developed in an open forum in which anyone may
participate. There are no qualifications for participation.
3.2 Transparency
All aspects of the Policy Development Process are documented and
publicly available via the AfriNIC website. The discussions are
publicly archived. All procedures that are developed to implement
the policy are documented by AfriNIC and are publicly available.
3.3 Fairness
The policies are to ensure fair distribution of resources and
facilitating the operation of the Internet.
Actions are taken within a reasonable period of time.
4. Policy Development Working Group
The Policy Development Working Group (PDWG) discusses about the
proposals. Anyone may participate via the Internet or in
person. The work is carried out through the Policy Development
Process mailing list (PDPML) and the Open Policy Meeting (OPM).
The Policy Development Working Group may have two or more Chairs to
perform the administrative functions of the group. The Working Group
Chairs will be chosen by the community during the Open Policy Meeting
for a two-year term. The term ends during the first Public Policy
Meeting meeting corresponding to the end of the term for which they
were appointed. At the time this policy is adopted, one of the
Working Group Chairs will be appointed for a one-year term.
If the Working Group Chair is unable to serve his or her full term,
the AfriNIC Board of Directors may, at its discretion, immediately
select a replacement to serve the remainder of the term. If the
Working Group Chairs are unable to attend the Public Policy Meeting,
the Working Group shall nominate a Chair for the session.
5. Policy Development Process
Policy proposals can be submitted to the Policy Development Process
mailing list. AfriNIC will provide administrative support and assist
the author(s) in drafting the proposal, if requested. AfriNIC shall
also provide relevant facts and statistics.
5.1 Draft Policy
During the development of a policy, draft versions of the document
are made available for review and comment by publishing them on the
AfriNIC website. The document shall include the information
mentioned in Appendix A. Each draft policy is assigned a unique
identifier by AfriNIC. The website shall also contain the version
history and the status of all proposals.
The draft policy shall be available for review for at least four
weeks. The author(s) shall make the necessary changes to the draft
policy according to the feedback received from the community. The
Working Group Chair(s) may request AfriNIC to provide an analysis,
technical, financial, legal or other, of the impact of the draft policy.
A draft policy expires after one calendar year unless it is approved
by the AfriNIC Board of Directors as a policy. The timeout period is
restarted when the draft policy is replaced by a more recent version
of the proposal. A draft policy can be withdrawn by the author(s) by
sending a notification to the Policy Development Process mailing list.
5.2 Public Policy Meeting
The draft policy is placed on the agenda of the next Public Policy
Meeting. The agenda of the meeting shall be announced on the Policy
Development Process mailing list at least two weeks prior to the
meeting. No change can be made to a draft policy within one week of
the meeting. This is so that a stable version of the draft policy
can be considered at the meeting. The Chair(s) determines whether
rough consensus has been achieved.
The Chair(s) shall publish the minutes of proceedings of the Public
Policy Meeting not later than three weeks after the meeting.
5.3 Last Call
A final review of the draft policy is initiated by the Working Group
Chair(s) by sending an announcement to the Policy Development Process
mailing list. The Last Call period shall be at least two weeks. The
Working Group Chair(s) shall evaluate the feedback received during
the Public Policy Meeting and during this period and decide whether
consensus has been achieved.
5.4 Approval
The Working Group Chair(s) shall recommend the draft policy to the
AfriNIC Board of Directors for approval if it has the consensus of
the Policy Development Working Group. The recommendation shall
include a report of the discussions during the Open Policy Meeting
and the Last Call. The AfriNIC Board of Directors may not disapprove
a draft policy, but if it has concerns about a draft policy, it may
refer it back to the Policy Development Working Group, together with
an explanation, for further work.
5.5 Implementation
The adoption and implementation date of the policy is announced on
the Policy Development Process mailing list.
6. Conflict Resolution
A person who disagrees with the actions taken by the Chair(s) shall
discuss the matter with the Working Group Chair(s) or with the
Working Group. If the disagreement cannot be resolved in this way,
the person may file an appeal with the AfriNIC Board of
Directors. The appeal must be submitted within two weeks of the
public knowledge of the decision. The AfriNIC Board of Directors
shall issue a report on its review of the complaint to the Working
Group. The AfriNIC Board of Directors may direct that the Chair(s)
decision be annulled if the Policy Development Process has not been followed.
Anyone who has attended at least two of the last ten AfriNIC meetings
may request the recall of a Working Group Chair at any time, upon
written request with justification to the AfriNIC Board of
Directors. The Board shall appoint a Recall Committee comprising
five persons from the Working Group, excluding the person requesting
the recall and the Working Group Chairs, using a random selection
process. The Recall Committee shall investigate the circumstances of
the justification for the recall and determine the outcome.
7. Varying the Process
The process outlined in this document may vary in the case of an
emergency. Variance may be requested by the Working Group Chair and
is for use when a one-time waving of some provision of this document
is required. There must be an explanation about why the variance is
needed. The review period, including the Last Call, shall not be
less than four weeks. If the AfriNIC Board of Directors adopts the
policy, it must be presented at the next Open Policy Meeting for
reconsideration.
Appendix A: Draft Policy Template
The Draft Policy shall include:
1. Unique identifier (assigned by AfriNIC)
2. Draft Policy Name
3. Author(s)
(a) Name
(b) Email address
(c) Affiliation, if applicable
4. Draft Policy Version
5. Submission Date
6. Changes to existing policies (updates, obsoletes), if applicable
7. Summary of proposal
8. Proposal
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