RIPE NCC Awarded Special Status from United Nations

1 August 2007 - The RIPE NCC has been awarded Special Consultative Status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

With this consultative status, the RIPE NCC can designate official representatives to help advise the United Nations on issues related to Internet number resource management and the technical coordination of the Internet.

"We are very happy to receive this special consultative status," said Axel Pawlik, Managing Director, RIPE NCC. "The RIPE NCC has been widely recognised for its contributions throughout the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the ongoing Internet Governance Forum (IGF). This latest development is a further recognition of the RIPE NCC and highlights the importance of industry self-regulation in the management of critical Internet resources."

Nominated by UK Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA) for an Internet Hero award in 2005, the RIPE NCC actively supports and represents the interests of its 5,000 members and the RIPE community.

"The new consultative status from the United Nations strengthens the RIPE NCC's efforts to represent its members and the RIPE community," said Paul Rendek, Head of External Relations and Communications, RIPE NCC. "But it also provides key decision makers with the benefits of the RIPE NCC's experience, allowing them to make well-informed decisions that promote the continued stability of the Internet."

Notes to Editors

About the RIPE NCC

Founded in 1992, the RIPE NCC is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation that supports the infrastructure of the Internet. The most prominent activity of the RIPE NCC is to act as a Regional Internet Registry (RIR) providing global Internet resources and related services to a current membership base of around 5,500 members in over 70 countries. These members consist mainly of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunication organisations and large corporations located in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia.

As one of the world's five RIRs, the RIPE NCC performs a range of critical functions including:

• The reliable and stable allocation of Internet number resources (IPv4, IPv6 and AS Number resources)
• The responsible storage and maintenance of this registration data
• The provision of an open, publicly accessible database where this data can be accessed

The RIPE NCC also provides a range of technical and coordination services for the Internet community. These services include the operation of K-root (one of the 13 root name servers), the Deployment of Internet Security Infrastructure (DISI) and DNS Monitoring (DNSMON).

As a result of its established position in the Internet industry, the RIPE NCC has played an important role in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), European Union (EU) workshops and government briefings on key issues in the current Internet landscape.

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