<div dir="ltr"><div>Dear Noah</div><div>Thank you for submitting the proposal.</div><div>We shall examine and get back to you as soon as possible if needed.</div><div>Thank you <br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Co-Chair PDWG<br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 9:30 PM Noah via pdwg <<a href="mailto:pdwg@afrinic.net">pdwg@afrinic.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi PDWG Co-chair,<br><br></div>Please refer to my previous email and support to publish the policy proposal as per subject and proposal content.<br><div><br></div><div>Cheers,<br clear="all"></div><div><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><b>./noah</b></div><div>neo - network engineering and operations<b><br></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 11:12 PM Noah <<a href="mailto:noah@neo.co.tz" target="_blank">noah@neo.co.tz</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><b>Policy Proposal: PDP Working Group (WG) Guidelines and Procedures</b><br>
<br>
Summary of the problem being addressed by this proposal<br>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
The current PDP uses a working group for policy development activities.
It does not define specific procedures and operational rules for the
working group. This has over the time led to interpretation issues in
regards to how the working group is administered and how discussions are
moderated.<br>
<br>
Summary of how this proposal addresses the problem<br>
------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
The proposal addresses the problems by defining clear and explicit Working Group guidelines and procedures.<br>
<br>
Policies the proposal amends/obsoletes <br>
------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
The proposal amends the Policy Development Process, section 3.0 of the AFRINIC CPM.<br>
<br>
Proposal<br>
-------------<br>
<br>
1.0 Introduction<br>
<br>
The Policy Development working group (PDWG) provides an open public
forum to discuss Internet number resources policies and related topics
of interest to AFRINIC and the Internet community in the AFRINIC service
region.<br>
<br>
PDWG sessions are held at AFRINIC Public policy meetings. Between
meetings, discussions continue through the Resource Policy discussions
mailing list. The PDWG is open to all interested individuals.<br>
<br>
This document serves as guidelines on how the working group shall
operate. It defines clear roles and responsibilities for the PDWG
co-chairs and clear procedures for the working group’s administration.<br>
<br>
2.0 Co-chairs<br>
<br>
Two PDWG co-chairs primarily administer the Policy Development working
group. The PDWG co-chairs perform a vital role in managing the working
group. The effectiveness of the PDWG is dependent on the active
participation of the co-chairs. PDWG co-chairs undertake their role on a
volunteer basis.<br>
<br>
The co-chairs coordinate the activities of the policy development’s
working group and are expected to attend all AFRINIC Public Policy
Meetings. They must remain subscribed to the AFRINIC Policy Discussion
mailing list for the duration of their term and must also be subscribed
to the AFRINIC member-discuss mailing list during their term.<br>
<br>
For each policy proposal, one co-chair must be assigned as the primary
contact; both co-chairs however shall actively participate in the
consensus building. The leading co-chair for the proposal as described
above shall guide the policy proposal through the different phases of
the PDP.<br>
<br>
2.1 Responsibilities of PDWG co-chairs<br>
<br>
The co-chairs’ responsibility encompasses at least the following: <br>
<br>
· Ensure working group process and content management <br>
<br>
The co-chairs have ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the working
group achieves forward progress .The co-chairs are also responsible to
ensure that the working group operates in an open and fair manner.<br>
<br>
· Moderate the Resource Policy Discussion mailing list<br>
<br>
The co-chairs should attempt to ensure that the discussions on the list
are relevant and that they converge to consensus agreements. The
co-chairs should make sure that discussions on the list are summarized
and that the outcome is well documented to avoid repetition and other
abuses.<br>
<br>
· Organize, prepare and chair the face-to-face and on-line formal working group meetings<br>
<br>
The responsibilities of the co-chairs are listed below:<br>
<br>
2.1.1 Before an AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting<br>
<br>
- Assist authors with formatting proposal<br>
<br>
- Introduce policy proposals to the policy discussion mailing list<br>
<br>
- Discourage any behavior that jeopardizes open participation to policy discussions, especially for newcomers.<br>
<br>
- Monitor and moderate discussions held on AFRINIC policy discussion mailing list<br>
<br>
- Announce the call for presentation of policy proposals for Public Policy Meetings on the policy discussion mailing list<br>
<br>
- Read presentation's slides to familiarise themselves with the details
and ensure they match proposals ‘text. In case of any difference,
submission of an updated version of the proposal on the mailing list to
notify the working group is required, even if these changes will not be
considered.<br>
<br>
- Create agenda presentation slides for the meeting with AFRINIC staff.<br>
<br>
- Guide the consensus building process; announce the current status of a policy proposal.<br>
<br>
- Read AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting minutes and makes corrections as necessary<br>
<br>
- Present the policy discussion working group report to the AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting.<br>
<br>
2.1.2 During a Public Policy Meeting<br>
<br>
- Chair the Public Policy meeting and moderate the discussions.<br>
<br>
- Determine whether proposals gained enough support to move to the next phase.<br>
<br>
- Monitor remote chat-room discussions during the AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting<br>
<br>
- Present the policy discussion working group report to the AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting.<br>
<br>
2.1.3 After a Public Policy Meeting<br>
<br>
- Send a report of the Public Policy Meeting to the community and policy
discussion mailing lists including policy proposal discussion outcomes
and open action items.<br>
<br>
- Monitor and moderate discussions during the last-call phase period.<br>
<br>
- Summarise discussions, and following the end of the last-call, post
the decision regarding whether the proposal has reached consensus or
not.<br>
<br>
- Submit policy proposal ratification report to the AFRINIC board of directors.<br>
<br>
2.2. Appointment of PDWG co-chairs <br>
<br>
The working group appoints two co-chairs for a two-years term. Co-chairs’
appointments occur in alternate years for each seat (seat1 and seat2).<br>
<br>
The working group makes decisions by consensus and shall also appoint
co-chairs by consensus. Elections should be used as a last resort
solution.<br>
<br>
The appointment for each seat follows the following process:<br>
<br>
At least 60 days before the Public Policy Meeting, AFRINIC staff sends a
call for nominations to the policy development mailing list. The call
will contain:<br>
<br>
- Details of the co-chair position to be filled (seat1 or seat2)<br>
<br>
- Details of the duties of the position.<br>
<br>
- The closing date for nominations; 30 days from the date of the call.<br>
<br>
Any natural person residing in a country from the AFRINIC service region is allowed to volunteer.<br>
<br>
Volunteers make themselves known by introducing themselves (short
biography and motivation) as a candidate on the working group mailing
list.<br>
<br>
Candidates for the co-chair’s position should be known as active
participants on the working group mailing list with good experience with the AFRINIC policy development process, and must have attended at least two
(2) AFRINIC Public Policy Meetings of which one must be in person,
during the last 3 years.<br>
<br>
If at least one nomination is received by closing date, the appointment
process starts. The appointment must be held at the upcoming Public
Policy Meeting as the first item on the agenda. Those present at the
session, either in person or remotely, will determine by consensus among
the candidates who shall take the available position. The remaining chair
will determine whether consensus has been reached. If the working group
finds itself without a co-chair, the chair of the AFRINIC Board of
Directors will lead the consensus process.<br>
<br>
If only one candidate is being evaluated, the lack of consensus must
declare the seat vacant. The chair of AFRINIC board of directors shall
appoint interim co-chair. The Interim co-chair will act up to the
appointment of the new co-chair.<br>
<br>
If no consensus can be reached and more than one candidate is being
evaluated, then a secret ballot to elect the new co-chair will be held.
Everyone physically present at the session can participate in the secret
ballot. Votes and counting shall be conducted using a ranked preferential
voting method otherwise known as IRV. The winner of the secret ballot
will become the new co-chair.<br>
<br>
In the unlikely event that after all the rounds of counting of the vote,
there is a tie between the two (2) most ranked candidates, they shall
be asked to select one among them to serve the term by consensus. The
seat shall be declared vacant in case of failure of agreement between
the last two.<br>
<br>
If the secret ballot cannot be held, the seat is declared vacant. The
chair of AFRINIC board of directors shall appoint interim co-chairs(s).
The Interim co-chair(s) will act up to the appointment of the new
co-chair(s).<br>
<br>
Exit of co-chair includes a handover period and an expectation that the sitting chair follows proposals, which have already reached consensus, to
the completion of their PDP cycle.<br>
<br>
2.3. Recalling a co-chair<br>
<br>
If the co-chair does not attend two consecutive AFRINIC Public Policy
Meetings without reasons or has been publicly reported by the other
co-chair as no longer attending to the working group’s affairs without
reasons, the co-chair will be removed from its role.<br>
<br>
Anyone may request the recall of a working group co-chair at any time,
upon a written request with justification to the AFRINIC Board of
Directors. The request must be supported by at least ten (10) other
persons.<br>
<br>
The AFRINIC Board of Directors shall appoint a recall committee,
excluding the persons requesting the recall and the co-chair. The recall
committee shall investigate the circumstances of the request for the
recall and determine the outcome in not more than 4 weeks after the
recall is recorded. The recall committee report shall be published on
the working group mailing list.<br>
<br>
The recall committee decision shall be final and binding.<br>
<br>
Whenever a co-chair is removed from its role and recalled, the remaining
co-chair will assume the chairing role of the working group until the
appointment of a new co-chair(s).<br>
<br>
2.4. Resignation of co-chair<br>
<br>
If a co-chair resigns, the remaining co-chair will assume the chairing
role of the working group until the appointment of a new co-chair(s).<br>
<br>
If both co-chairs resign, the chair of the AFRINIC board of directors shall
as a matter of urgency lead the appointment by the working group of an
interim co-chair(s) via the mailing list or at the Public Policy
meeting. If no consensus can be reached, the chair of the Board of
directors shall appoint interim Co-chairs(s) for the working group.<br>
<br>
The Interim chair will act up to the appointment of the new co-chair(s).<br>
<br>
3.0 Operations working group (PDWG)<br>
<br>
3.1 Moderation of working group discussions and sessions<br>
<br>
The challenge of managing the policy development working group sessions
is to balance the need for open and fair consideration of the issues
against the need to make forward progress. The working group, as a
whole, has the final responsibility for striking this balance. The
working group co-chairs have the responsibility for overseeing the
process.<br>
<br>
To facilitate making forward progress, the working group co-chairs may
wish to decide to reject or defer the input from an individual, based
upon the following criteria:<br>
<br>
Old:<br>
The input pertains to a topic that already has been resolved and is redundant with information previously available;<br>
<br>
Minor:<br>
The input is new and pertains to a topic that has already been resolved,
but it is felt to be of minor import to the existing decision;<br>
<br>
Timing:<br>
The input pertains to a topic that the working group has not yet opened for discussion;<br>
<br>
Scope:<br>
The input is outside the scope of the discussions or of the working group<br>
<br>
3.2 Individual behaviors<br>
<br>
Occasionally one or more individuals may engage in behavior on a mailing
list that, in the opinion of the working group co-chairs, is disruptive
to the working group’s progress or goes against applicable Codes of
Conduct.<br>
<br>
Unless the disruptive behavior is severe enough that it must be stopped
immediately, the co-chairs should attempt to discourage the disruptive
behavior by communicating directly with the offending individual. If the
behavior persists, the co-chairs should send at least one public
warning on the mailing list. The warning should clearly expose what is
being cautioned on the individual and the basis of co-chairs judgment.<br>
<br>
As last resort, and typically after one or more explicit warnings, and
if the behavior persists, the working group co-chairs may suspend the
mailing list posting privileges of the disruptive individual for a
period of not more than 30 days. The application of this restriction
must be gradual. If the individual resumes with the same behavior or worse,
the restriction period may increase.<br>
<br>
Even while posting privileges are suspended, the individual must not be prevented from receiving messages posted to the list.<br>
<br>
Other Mailing list control solutions may be considered. The working group must have adopted these solutions.<br>
<br>
Like all other working group’s co-chairs' decisions, any suspension of posting privileges is subject to appeal.<br>
<br>
3.3. Public Policy Meeting<br>
<br>
A Public Policy Meeting (PPM) is a meeting open to the community wherein
proposals for policies are discussed within the framework of the Policy
Development Process (PDP). The AFRINIC board of Directors calls PPMs in
accordance with section 11.2 of the Bylaws.<br>
<br>
If one co-chair can’t participate in a Public Policy Meeting, the second co-chair shall chair the meeting.<br>
<br>
If both co-chairs can’t participate in a meeting, the working group
shall appoint one (1) person temporarily to lead the session. If the
working group cannot appoint a temporary chair, the chair of AFRINIC
board of directors shall appoint a temporary chair. If the board chair
fails to appoint a temporary chair, the meeting shall be adjourned.<br>
<br>
The temporary chair appointed above shall lead the discussions according
to the agenda, but can’t determine consensus on policy proposals. He
will provide meeting minutes to the mailing list and allow the co-chairs
to take over.<br>
<br>
While open discussion and contribution is essential to working Group
working group success, co-chairs are responsible for ensuring forward
progress. When acceptable to the working group, co-chairs may call for
restricted participation (but not restricted attendance!) at Public
Policy meetings for the purpose of achieving progress. The working group
co-chairs then have the responsibility to refuse to grant the floor to
any individual who is unprepared or otherwise covering inappropriate
material, or who, in the opinion of the co-chairs, is disrupting the
working group process.<br>
<br>
3.4 Consensus<br>
<br>
The working group makes decisions by consensus as defined in the PDP<br>
<br>
4.0 Appeals<br>
<br>
4.1 Suspension of posting privileges<br>
<br>
Anyone whose privileges of posting to the mailing list have been
suspended by the working group co-chairs may file an appeal against the
decision to the chair of the AFRINIC board of directors. The chair will
evaluate the circumstances, hear the co-chairs and complainer and
decide. The chair’s decision shall be final and binding.<br>
<br>
4.2 Co-chairs appointment<br>
<br>
A person who disagrees with the actions taken by a co-chair regarding
the appointment process shall follow the conflict resolution process as
defined in the PDP.<br>
<br>
Actions taken by the chair of AFRINIC board of directors regarding the appointment process are final and binding<br>
<br>
5.0 Acknowledgements<br>
<br>
The author would like to acknowledge that some text and procedures in
this document have been adapted from RFC2418 and from the working group’s
practices of other RIRs.<br>
<br>
Authors<br>
Noah Maina<br>
<a href="mailto:noah@neo.co.tz" target="_blank">noah@neo.co.tz</a><br>
<br>
Alain P. Aina<br>
<a href="mailto:aalain@trstech.net" target="_blank">aalain@trstech.net</a><br>
========</div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><b><br></b></div><div>Cheers,<b><br></b></div><div><b>./noah</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</blockquote></div>
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</blockquote></div>
<br>
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