[ripe-list] ASO AC Next Steps

Dear colleagues,

Sander Steffann has stepped down from the ASO AC / NRO NC [1], as 
recently shared on the RIPE Discussion list. I would like to thank 
Sander for his work over the last two years on the ASO AC.

Each region has three members on the ASO AC / NRO NC, which has a total 
of 15 members. For RIPE, two members are elected by the community and 
the third is appointed by the RIPE NCC Executive Board. Currently, the 
elected members are Sander Steffann and Constanze Bürger, while Hervé 
Clément has been appointed. With Sander's resignation, we have one 
vacant seat.

 From a procedural standpoint, there isn't adequate notice to hold an 
election at RIPE 88 to allow for a sufficient nomination period and to 
announce confirmed candidates (at least three weeks prior to the 
election). We will, therefore, hold an election to fill the vacant seat 
as scheduled at RIPE 89 (28 October - 1 November 2024), for a complete 
three year term starting in January 2026 until December 2028. The RIPE 
NCC will send out the call for nominations and follow the regular 
procedure ahead of RIPE 89. If you're interested in reading more about 
the election process, please take a look at The NRO NC Election Process 
(ripe-813). [2]

We had considered filling the position temporarily. However, given that 
the summer break follows not long after RIPE 88, and a subsequent 
election is scheduled to be held at RIPE 89 in any case, we would be 
asking a lot of the temporary candidate for only a few weeks. We are 
considering updating ripe-813 to allow for short-term appointments more 
easily, if and when required in the future.

This is an interesting moment for the ASO AC / NRO NC, which is 
discussing the criteria to establish new RIRs. Athina Fragkouli, the 
RIPE NCC's Chief Legal Officer, recently wrote a very insightful article 
about the process and the role communities like ours need to play in 
this. You can read the article on RIPE Labs [3].

If you are interested in the discussions, the ASO AC calls are open to 
observers, so please join in. The call schedule is available at:
https://aso.icann.org/aso-ac/meetings/aso-ac-meeting-schedule/

Kind regards,

Mirjam Kühne
RIPE Chair
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[1] ASO AC / NRO NC website
https://www.nro.net/about/address-supporting-organization/the-nro-number-council/

[2] The NRO NC Election Process
https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-813/

[3] Criteria for the Accreditation of Regional Internet Registries
https://labs.ripe.net/author/athina/criteria-for-the-accreditation-of-regional-internet-registries/