Andrei Robachevsky contributed to this post.
Internet Coordination Policy – 2 (ICP-2) is the document that establishes the criteria for the recognition and establishment of new Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). This document was developed through ICANN’s Address Supporting Organization (ASO) with the assistance of APNIC, ARIN, and RIPE NCC, was recommended by the ASO’s Address Council, and on 4 June 2001 was accepted by the ICANN Board of Directors.
Fast forward another 20 plus years: With a view to further strengthen the Internet numbers system, the NRO EC launched a project to update ICP-2 in 2023. The work of updating ICP-2 is being carried out by the Number Resource Organization Number Council (NRO NC), which consists of representatives from the different RIR communities and serves as the Address Supporting Organization Address Council (ASO AC) within the current ICANN framework.
2025 marks an important phase in the process of updating ICP-2. On 24 February 2025, the NRO NC published a qualitative analysis and summary of feedback it received from the community on an initial set of principles for updating ICP-2. This feedback helped shape the next steps in the review process.
What comes next?
The NRO NC has produced a proposed update to the ICP-2 document that incorporates the community feedback it received, currently titled “Governance Document for the Recognition, Maintenance, and Derecognition of Regional Internet Registries”. The draft of the document is available on the NRO website and has been shared for community consultation through mailing lists hosted by each RIR.
This consultation period is open from 14 April until 27 May 2025, in parallel with the ASO AC’s ICANN Public Comment proceeding. RIR communities can follow all planned community engagement activities via the NRO website.
The NRO NC will consider the feedback received in the consultations, as well as the Public Comment proceedings, and update the proposed draft document to address any substantial issues raised. The resulting draft will be provided to the RIRs and ICANN for their final review and execution.
APRICOT 2025 feedback
The NRO NC described its ICP-2 work during two sessions at APRICOT 2025 and heard feedback from the community. Based on that feedback, it became clear that NRO NC needed to provide more clarity around two matters — the scope of its ICP-2 work and what expectations should be going forward.
Scope and expectations of the ICP-2 review process
ICP-2 was drafted and published over two decades ago. Since that time, both the Internet and the RIR system have evolved. The NRO Executive Council (NRO EC) tasked the NRO NC with updating ICP-2 to ensure it continues to reflect the nature of the Internet and ensure the stability of the RIR system.
However, it is important to note that this revision is not intended to redesign or fundamentally change the RIR system. Instead, the focus is to identify gaps and areas for improvement with the aim of strengthening the governance and accountability of the RIRs. Certain feedback the NRO NC received was directed toward fundamentally redesigning the RIR system or how RIRs operate. Although the NRO NC appreciated such feedback, the NRO NC does not plan to incorporate it into the revised document, as the existing system has effectively supported the development and stability of the Internet for over 30 years, and this process is designed to ensure it can continue to do so into the future.
Clarifying the role of ICP-2
There are also some aspects of ICP-2 that are worth clarifying:
- ICP-2 is not an operational document: It establishes broad principles that govern RIRs and the RIR ecosystem. However, it does not delve into all of the specifics as to how those principles will be operationalized. The NRO and the RIRs themselves are responsible for determining how to implement the principles set forth in ICP-2, and implementation will be documented as it was done with the present ICP-2 document.
- ICP-2 is not a global policy document: A global policy is a policy that concerns how Internet number resources are allocated from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Functions Operator to the RIRs. ICANN’s Global Policy Development Process governs the process of creating or modifying global policies. As ICP-2 does not speak to allocations from the IANA Functions Operator, it is not a global policy and is not subject to the Global Policy Development Process. That said, the process of updating ICP-2 includes extensive community engagement and ample opportunity for the community to provide input into the content of the new document.
Community engagement matters
By participating in ICP-2 consultations, RIR communities can help ensure that the updated document reflects the collective experience and insights of participants and meets the needs of the Internet numbers community.
The ICP-2 update is an opportunity to reinforce the foundational principles that support the stability and accountability of the global Internet number registry system, and we encourage all interested parties to participate.
To share your feedback in the APNIC region, subscribe to the ICP-2 Review mailing list or participate in the webinar on 15 May 2025 (Register here) at 14:00 (UTC +10).
Nick Nugent is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee, where he teaches Internet Law, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and Property. He currently also serves as the Vice-Chair of the NRO NC.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.