Internet Governance

The RIPE NCC engages in a range of activities that can be defined as “Internet governance”. These activities include working with the technical community, governments, regulators, civil society and law enforcement agencies with a view to maintaining the Internet's core functions, such as the technical standards and protocols, as well as the registration services that underpin the global Internet.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a global initiative that aims to foster dialogue, collaboration, and promotion of information and communication technologies as aligned with the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) and human rights.

The WSIS twenty-year (WSIS+20) review will build on the 2005 Tunis Agenda, the 2015 WSIS+10 outcomes, and the Global Digital Compact (GDC) adopted in 2024 as part of the UN Pact for the Future.

In this context, the RIPE NCC has released a ‘WSIS+20 Fact Sheet’ alongside ‘Our Vision & Contribution’ gathering our insights and recommendations. The document highlights the role and contributions from the RIPE NCC as a steward of the Internet technical community at this critical juncture in the review of Internet governance mechanisms.

Internet technical community coordination

The RIPE NCC coordinates with a range of technical bodies and organisations, including the other Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and Internet Society (ISOC). In addition, we actively support local and regional initiatives such as the Central Asia Peering and Interconnection Forum (CAPIF) and various Internet network operators' groups (NOGs) and activities.

Multistakeholder engagement

The RIPE NCC collaborates with international and regional partners with a view to promoting evidence-based and well-informed decision making. We support inclusive governance mechanisms and work with intergovernmental organisations across several forums to share our technical insights and expertise. These include the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Council of Europe (CoE), the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), for which we are an active financial contributor.

As an active member of the ITU-D and ITU-T sectors, our effort is geared towards supporting the Internet’s long-term scalability, interoperability, security and resilience. The role of Regional Internet Registries is recognised and supported by the ITU-T Resolution 164 on Internet Protocol address allocation and facilitating the transition to and deployment of Internet Protocol version 6.

The RIPE NCC and the ITU have signed a Joint Declaration pledging to support capacity-building in Internet infrastructure development and accelerating the transition towards latest-generation Internet protocols.

Finally, the RIPE NCC directly engages with governments, regulators and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) across its service region and organises regular workshops and roundtables for governments and regulators throughout the year.