[rpd] AFRINIC-38 Public Policy Meeting-Cape Town, South Africa, 18 November 2026

Fri Aug 28 18:57:22 UTC 2026

HI Caleb,

You’re comparing a 1 day clash with a clash for the full week. The policy meeting, in all the regions, typically is in the middle of the week, so a clash in the 1st or last day of the week is not so big issue. Here the clash is the complete week.

There is another relevant point here. In IETF meetings, usually, there is some coordination meeting among the RIRs (this clash also may create a problem for some of the AFRINIC staff as well). I believe this is true for the ASO AC in ICANN meetings, but only once per year, for a specific group of 15 folks and they can decide in advance which ICANN meeting they choose to avoid such clashes.

The PCH calendar seems very similar to the one hosted by ISOC and some of the RIRs. Probably they are coordinated somehow.

It is true that (unfortunately) the participation in IETF of people involved in AFRINIC is very low, but creating a clash, clearly is not going to favour it. We should work on the other way around: ensuring that people involved in AFRINIC, operators, etc., become also involved in IETF. Remote participation in IETF is free, as there is a permanent waiver for that.

And repeating again: the community of AFRINIC is not only people from Africa.

Last but not least, I’m sure none of the other RIRs will create a full week clash with the IETF. If you check the attendance list of every IETF you will find several folks of every RIR in every IETF meeting, including AFRINIC staff (not in the last couple of years for obvious reasons).

With that AFRINIC is acting against the local and remote community, and against some of us contributing to the PDP, it is a clear on-purpose betrayal.

Regards,
Jordi

@jordipalet

> El 28 ago 2026, a las 18:59, Caleb Ogundele <muyiwacaleb at gmail.com> escribió:
> 
> Hi Jordi,
> 
> I understand the concern about avoiding unnecessary clashes, while I agree that coordination between the various Internet ecosystem meetings is desirable.
> 
> However, I do not think it is accurate to suggest that avoiding every overlap has been an absolute rule that has always been followed. Scheduling conflicts have occurred even among the major organizations in this ecosystem. It comes with logistical problems.
> 
> For example, ICANN84 was held from 25 - 30 October 2025, while ARIN56 - ARIN being one of the five Regional Internet Registries - was held on 30–31 October 2025. There was therefore a direct overlap. The current calendars also show ICANN87 running from 17 - 22 October 2026, with ARIN58 taking place on 22–23 October, again overlapping on 22 October.
> I understand most organisations already signed vendor MoUs and a default can cost the organisation a lot of money if they default.
> 
> So while avoiding clashes should certainly remain the objective, the reality is that overlaps do happen. I do not think AFRINIC should be treated as though it is uniquely disregarding an established practice when similar conflicts have occurred between ICANN and an RIR. I will also wonder if  folks consider  this open calendar to plan 
> https://www.pch.net/meetings
> 
> The more relevant question, in my view, is whether the chosen dates reasonably support participation by the community that AFRINIC principally serves, especially the fact that we have low African participation in IETF, which is a conversation for another day, while still providing meaningful remote participation for the broader global community.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Caleb Ogundele.
> Speaking in my personal capacity as a community member.
> 
> 
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2026 at 10:09 AM jordi.palet--- via RPD <rpd at afrinic.net <mailto:rpd at afrinic.net>> wrote:
>> Well, again, if the dates are set because the other event, it clearly means you will get much less participation, not more.
>> 
>> And that means that any RIR can ignore the clash and the rest of the participants from other regions when they see a “match” with another event? Not really smart considering that you will get much less participation instead of more.
>> 
>> Saludos,
>> Jordi
>> 
>> @jordipalet
>> 
>>> El 28 ago 2026, a las 16:45, Andrew Alston <aa at alstonnetworks.net <mailto:aa at alstonnetworks.net>> escribió:
>>> 
>>> Actually I care very much - but I am also aware that the dates of this PDP meeting coincide with other major tech events that are held in Cape Town - and as a result the dates set will maximize attendence at AfriNIC amongst African attendees because of those dates.
>>> 
>>> If we have to balance that with the fact that African participation in the ietf is sadly abysmal - it’s in my view more important from an African perspective to hold a meeting that maximises African participation - which this does.
>>> 
>>> Andrew 
>>> 
>>> On Fri, Aug 28, 2026 at 15:40, jordi.palet--- via RPD <rpd at afrinic.net <mailto:rpd at afrinic.net>> wrote:
>>>> Hi Andrew,
>>>> 
>>>> The community is not only from Africa, we must not forget that. And also you can always participate remotely. But this is not the point, the point is the respect to the rules that we had for many years among all the RIRs, IETF, etc. It shows you don’t care about people contributing, as said in my previous email.
>>>> 
>>>> Regard,
>>>> Jordi
>>>> 
>>>> @jordipalet
>>>> 
>>>>> El 28 ago 2026, a las 16:00, Andrew Alston <aa at alstonnetworks.net <mailto:aa at alstonnetworks.net>> escribió:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hi Jordi,
>>>>> 
>>>>> While I would normally agree with this 100%, considering the clash is with the San Francisco meeting - which many people in Africa will not be able to attend due to massive problems getting US visas at the moment (Multi-month wait times just to get an appointment for a tourist visa and huge deposits, etc.)—I see it as less of a problem than if this were an IETF meeting held elsewhere.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Andrew
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Fri, Aug 28, 2026 at 1:57 PM jordi.palet--- via RPD <rpd at afrinic.net <mailto:rpd at afrinic.net>> wrote:
>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> There is an agreement among all the RIRs, IETF, ICANN, ISOC, etc. to avoid clashes in their meetings.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> This is being organized the SAME week as the IETF in San Francisco. This was fixed many years ago.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Clearly the AFRINIC MUST change the dates for this meeting.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>> Jordi
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> @jordipalet
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> El 28 ago 2026, a las 13:51, AFRINIC Communication via RPD <rpd at afrinic.net <mailto:rpd at afrinic.net>> escribió:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> [Version en français au bas]
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Dear Colleagues,
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> We are pleased to announce that the AFRINIC-38 Public Policy Meeting (PPM) will be held on Wednesday, 18 November 2026, in Cape Town, South Africa.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> AFRINIC-38 will be held in a hybrid format, enabling participants from across Africa and around the world to discuss and review Internet number resource policies that guide the management and distribution of Internet number resources within the AFRINIC service region.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Your participation is important, as the outcomes of these discussions contribute to shaping policies that affect the Internet ecosystem, businesses, and digital development across Africa. We therefore encourage AFRINIC members and the wider Internet community to participate, share their perspectives, and contribute to an open and inclusive Policy Development Process.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Further details, including the programme, registration process, venue, and participation arrangements, will be communicated in due course.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> We look forward to welcoming you to AFRINIC-38 in Cape Town.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Kind Regards,
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> AFRINIC Communication
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> ……………………………………
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Chers membres de la communauté,
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Nous avons le plaisir de vous annoncer que la Réunion de politique publique AFRINIC-38 (PPM) se tiendra le mercredi 18 novembre 2026 à Cape Town, en Afrique du Sud.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> AFRINIC-38 se déroulera en format hybride, permettant aux participants de toute l’Afrique et du reste du monde de discuter et d’examiner les politiques relatives aux ressources numériques Internet qui encadrent la gestion et la distribution de ces ressources dans la région de service d’AFRINIC.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Votre participation est importante, car les resultats de ces discussions contribuent à façonner des politiques qui ont un impact sur l’écosystème Internet, les entreprises et le développement numérique en Afrique. Nous encourageons donc les membres d’AFRINIC ainsi que l’ensemble de la communauté Internet à participer, à partager leurs points de vue et à contribuer à un processus d’élaboration des politiques ouvert et inclusif.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> De plus amples informations, notamment sur le programme, les modalités d’inscription, le lieu et les conditions de participation, seront communiquées prochainement.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Nous nous réjouissons de vous accueillir à AFRINIC-38 à Cape Town.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Cordialement,
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Communication AFRINIC
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>> https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/rpd
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
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>> **********************************************
>> IPv4 is over
>> Are you ready for the new Internet ?
>> http://www.theipv6company.com <http://www.theipv6company.com/>
>> The IPv6 Company
>> 
>> This electronic message contains information which may be privileged or confidential. The information is intended to be for the exclusive use of the individual(s) named above and further non-explicilty authorized disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information, even if partially, including attached files, is strictly prohibited and will be considered a criminal offense. If you are not the intended recipient be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information, even if partially, including attached files, is strictly prohibited, will be considered a criminal offense, so you must reply to the original sender to inform about this communication and delete it.
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> 
> 
> 
> --
> Caleb Ogundele
> Email: muyiwacaleb at gmail.com <mailto:muyiwacaleb at gmail.com>

**********************************************
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Are you ready for the new Internet ?
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