Number Resource Organization
 | |
| Type: | Unincorporated Organization |
| Industry: | Registry Organization |
| Founded: | 2003 |
| Founder(s): | APNIC, RIPE, ARIN, LACNIC |
| Website: | www.nro.net |
The Number Resource Organization (NRO) is the coordinating body for the world's five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), which manage the allocation of IP addresses and Autonomous System Numbers.
RIRs
History
The NRO was originally formed on 24 October 2003, when the 4 existing RIRs entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). AFRINIC signed the MoU and joined the NRO shortly after it was incorporated in April 2005.[1]
On 31 October 2003, the RIRs sent an Open Letter, which notified ICANN of the NRO's formation and proposed the formation of the Address Supporting Organization (ASO).
Mission & Aims
The mission as described by the NRO is: To actively contribute to an open, stable and secure internet, through:
- Providing and promoting a coordinated Internet number registry system
- Being an authoritative voice on the multi-stakeholder model and bottom-up policy process in Internet governance
- Coordinating and supporting joint activities of the RIRs
Additionally, the aims of the NRO are to:
- Protect the unallocated Internet number resource pool
- Promote and protect the bottom-up policy development process
- Act as a focal point for Internet community input into the RIR system.
The NRO as ASO
The NRO also functions in part as ICANN's Address Supporting Organization, or ASO. In this role the ASO makes IP address policy recommendations to ICANN.[3]
Organizational Structure
The NRO consists of three suborganizations, including: the Executive Council, the Number Council and the Secretariat.
Executive Council
The Executive Council of the NRO is composed of the CEOs or Directors from each of the five RIRs. The positions of Chair, Vice Chair/Secretary and Treasurer rotate annually.
- Chairman: Alan Barrett, AFRINIC
- Vice-Chair and Secretary: Axel Pawlik, RIPE NCC
- Treasurer: Oscar Robles, LACNIC
- Member: John Curran, ARIN
- Member: Paul Wilson, APNIC
The current NRO chair acts as the Empowered Community Decisional Participant and only acts on the consensus of all five members of the NRO Executive Council.
Secretariat
- Executive Secretary: German Valdez
Number Council
The NRO Number Council is an elected body that serves as the ASO Address Council. There responsibilities include overseeing IP Address policy recommendations, managing policy development activities and appointing members to the ICANN Board. Each RIR appoints three members, two selected from their respective regional policy forums and one selected from the Executive Board of each RIR.
The full list of members can be found here: Address Council Members