[AfriNIC-rpd] Policy Development Process in the AfriNIC service region (draft version 3)

[sm+afrinic at elandsys.com]

Hello,

This is version 3 of the policy proposal for the Policy Development 
Process.  I listed the changes in Appendix B to facilitate the 
discussion.  In the event the proposal is approved, I would like to 
remove that appendix from the final version if the PDP-MG agrees to that.

The major changes to this version have been discussed on this mailing 
list.  Please comment on the document.  Please email me if any 
proposed change is missing or the change is incorrectly worded in the document.

Regards,
S. Moonesamy

Your Name: S. Moonesamy
Your Organisation:
Policy Affected: AFPUB-2008-GEN-001
Date: 11 May, 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 PDP-MG cannot attend an public policy meeting or if a 
person disagrees with an action taken by the PDP-MG.

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 public 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 public 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 AfriNIC 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 Internet community consensus.

These procedures adopt generally accepted practices and provide the 
flexibility to adapt to a variety of circumstances that can occur in 
a process.  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 Internet 
community initiates and discusses the proposals.  If consensus is 
reached on the draft policy, 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 Resource Policy 
Discussion mailing list (RPD) and the Public Policy Meeting (PPM).

The Policy Development Working Group has two or more Chairs to 
perform the administrative functions of the group.  The Working Group 
Chairs will be chosen by the AfriNIC community during the Public 
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 Working Group may 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 Resource Policy Discussion 
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 if requested during the discussion.

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 before the next Public Policy Meeting.  The author(s) shall 
make the necessary changes to the draft policy according to the 
feedback received.  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 Resource Policy Discussion mailing list.

5.2 Public Policy Meeting

The draft policy is placed on the agenda of the next open public 
policy meeting.  The agenda of the meeting shall be announced on the 
Resource Policy Discussion 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 during the Public Policy Meeting.

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 Resource Policy Discussion 
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 of the draft policy and feedback 
from the Last Call.  The draft policy shall be ratified by the 
AfriNIC Board of Directors.

5.5 Implementation

The adoption and implementation date of the policy is announced on 
the Resource Policy Discussion mailing list.  The implementation date 
should be less than six months after the end of the Last Call unless 
a waiver is requested.

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 an Appeal Committee appointed by 
the AfriNIC Board of Directors.  An appeal can only be filed if it is 
supported by three persons from the Working Group who have 
participated in the discussions.

The appeal must be submitted within two weeks of the public knowledge 
of the decision.  The Appeal Committee shall issue a report on its 
review of the complaint to the Working Group.  The Appeal Committee 
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 AfriNIC Board of Directors shall appoint a recall 
committee, excluding the person requesting the recall and the Working 
Group Chairs.  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 or 
the AfriNIC Board of Directors 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 
policy is adopted, it must be presented at the next Public Policy 
Meeting for reconsideration.

8. Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge that some text and procedures in 
this document have been adapted from RFC 2606.  Thanks to Adiel 
Apklogan and Alain Aina for their insight.  The author only 
documented the process; full credit belongs to the AfriNIC community.

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
  9. List of changes between previous versions of the draft, if applicable

Appendix B: Changes

Section 4 changed so that replacement of a Chair is done by Working 
Group instead of Board of Directors
Section 4 clarifies that Chair is selected by the AfriNIC community
Section 5.4 changed so that Board of Directors can only approve a policy
Appeal committee in Section 6 handled by a future appeal body set up by AfriNIC
Added requirements for appeal in Section 6
Recall committee in Section 6 appointed by Board of Directors
Board of Directors can request variance
Qualified the word community throughout the proposal
Section 3 clarifies that policies are developed by the Internet community
OPM changed to PPM
Added Implementation sub-section
Added Acknowledgements section