[General-members] Letter to ICANN – Proposal to Re-engage the AFRINIC Community

[ARIN]

This message is sent on behalf of the Number Resource Organization (NRO):

Public Letter sent to ICANN Leadership regarding re-engagement with AFRINIC Community. (Original Letter: https://www.nro.net/wp-content/uploads/Letter-NRO-to-ICANN-Re-engangement-AFRINIC-Community-signed.pdf)

AFRINIC is facing governance challenges which need to be addressed with some urgency.  Among these is the lack of a functioning board, which requires elections to be held to replace vacant board seats and re-establish quorum.

The NRO believes that a free and fair AFRINIC election requires an effective activation of the AFRINIC membership and community towards informed participation.  This process is underway, but it requires adequate and urgent resourcing to be as effective as possible in reaching every member of the AFRINIC community.

The NRO considers that the best approach would be the launching of a program with the following aims:

- Raising awareness and increasing the involvement of AFRINIC’s community in its governance model
- Hosting dedicated events, or collocating with existing community events, aiming to raise awareness of AFRINIC and its governance
- Ensuring high levels of community participation in these events and membership participation in the election
- Identifying capable and experienced candidates to serve on the AFRINIC Board
- Reducing opportunities for capture by any single interest group

To this end, the NRO welcomes the support of ICANN to contribute to the purposes of this program.

While the NRO focuses on the above efforts and will contribute resources and leadership as needed, the intention is to collaborate closely with AFRINIC staff under their guidance and leadership to engage AFRINIC members in a fair and neutral manner.

The AFRINIC organization and staff need strong support from global and regional institutions to undertake the work on the strengthening of the AFRINIC community and of AFRINIC itself.

We thank you in advance for your support for community-based solutions to address the current AFRINIC governance situation.

signed by John Curran, 2023 NRO EC Chair.