------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ APNIC Document identity Title: APNIC SIG Guidelines Short title: sig-guidelines Document ref: APNIC-128 Version 005 Date of original publication: October 2016 Date of current version: TBA Review scheduled: n/a Obsoletes: APNIC-128-v004 Status: Draft Comments: TBA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents 1. Definitions 1.1 Birds of a Feather (BoFs) 1.2 Chair 1.3 Co-Chair 1.4 Consensus 1.5 Special Interest Group (SIG) 1.6 SIG Charter 1.7 SIG Forum 1.8 Working Group (WG) 1.9 Term 1.10 Partial Term 2. Special Interest Groups (SIGs) 2.1 Creating a SIG 2.2 Dissolving a SIG 2.3 SIG Chair and Co-Chair roles 2.3.1 Chair responsibilities 2.3.2 Co-Chair responsibilities 3. Chair or Co-Chair Elections 3.1 Call for nominations 3.2 Confirm nominations 3.3 Criteria for election 3.4 Election procedures 3.4.1 Nominations 3.4.2 Nomination period 3.4.3 Voting eligibility 3.4.4 Voting period 3.4.5 Voting Administration 3.4.6 Election results 3.4.7 Announcements 3.4.8 Dates and Times 3.5 Filling of positions 3.6 Removing a Chair or Co-Chair 3.7 Resignation of a Chair or Co-Chair 4. Working Groups (WGs) 5. Birds of a Feather (BoFs) 6. SIG Presenters 6.1 General presentation hints 6.1.1 Speaking 6.1.2 Presentation slides 7. Code of conduct 8. Procedure for changing these guidelines 9. Transitional provisions 1. Definitions The definitions and interpretation provisions in the APNIC Definitions Document apply to this document. In addition, the following terms have the meanings given to them below: 1.1 Birds of a Feather (BoFs) Birds of a Feather meetings (BoFs) are informal meetings convened for a variety of purposes, such as exchanging information and discussing new ideas or particular issues. They can be proposed and convened at short notice and there is no formal requirement to submit papers or post to mailing lists. 1.2 Chair A Chair is responsible for coordinating the activities of a SIG. The role of Chair is voluntary. 1.3 Co-Chair A Co-Chair works with the Chair to coordinate the activities of a SIG. The role of Co-Chair is voluntary. 1.4 Consensus Consensus has the meaning given in the APNIC Policy Development Process. For more information refer to APNIC Policy Development Process here https://www.apnic.net/about-apnic/corporate-documents/documents/policy-development/development-process/ 1.5 Special Interest Group (SIG) Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide an open public forum to discuss topics of interest to APNIC and the Internet community in the Asia Pacific region. SIGs are open to all interested participants. 1.6 SIG Charter A SIG Charter is the governing instrument of a SIG which must clearly define the SIG's purpose, scope, and objectives, and is the instrument against which the SIG's activities and decisions are assessed. Each SIG Charter must be published and must be reviewed at least every two years. The AGM/AMM must reach consensus on any new or altered SIG Charter. 1.7 SIG Forum SIG Forum (in case of Policy SIG, the Open Policy Meeting (OPM)) are the meetings of a SIG held at APNIC Conferences. Between SIG Forums, discussions continue via subscription-based SIG mailing lists (archived on the APNIC website). A “joint SIG Forum” is a joint meeting of all SIGs held in accordance with this document. 1.8 Working Group (WG) Working Groups (WGs) focus on a particular work item and exist only as long as it takes to complete the task(s). A working group is usually small and consists of volunteers willing to dedicate themselves to the particular work item . A Working Group reports back to the body that created it. 1.9 Term Term means a full term of office for a position (Chair or Co-Chair of a SIG), running from the scheduled election for that position at one APNIC Member Meeting (AMM) to the scheduled election for that position at the next AMM at which that position is due for election. A term is counted as one term regardless of the actual number of days between those meetings. 1.10 Partial Term Partial Term means service in a position for a period of one year or less, where "one year" is the period between one AMM and the next AMM. A person serves a partial term where their service does not extend beyond the first AMM held after they assume office. This includes: (a) filling a casual vacancy that arises late in a term, where the person serves only until the next scheduled election; and (b) any initial one-year Co-Chair term served to establish or maintain the staggered election cycle under Section 3. 2. Special Interest Groups (SIGs) 2.1 Creating a SIG The recommendation to create a new SIG may come from: - Mailing list discussions - An existing SIG - AGM/AMM endorsement - A BoF After a new SIG has been recommended, the following steps must occur unless otherwise indicated: (a) Hold at least 2 preliminary BoFs A new SIG cannot be created unless two BoFs have been held. The purpose of the BoFs are to: - Determine interest in the proposed subject area; - Find a person to volunteer as Acting Chair; and - Draft a SIG Charter for the proposed SIG. (b) Seek endorsement at the AGM/AMM The outcomes of the BoF are reported to the AGM/AMM. The report should include the draft SIG Charter (if ready), BoF attendance numbers, the level of participant interest, and the nature of the discussions. Following completion of the items under 2.1(a), a consensus call will be put to the AGM/AMM attendees to indicate whether there is consensus to endorse the formation of the new SIG. (c) Create a mailing list for the SIG When the SIG has been endorsed, the APNIC Secretariat will create a subscriber-based mailing list for the SIG. Anyone can subscribe to a SIG mailing list. (d) Call for SIG Chair and Co-Chair positions The APNIC Secretariat will issue a call for SIG Chair and Co-Chair positions according to the procedure described in Section 3 of this document. (e) First SIG Forum At the first SIG Forum of the new SIG, the attendees will be asked to endorse the proposed SIG Charter and to formally elect the Chair and, where applicable a Co-Chair, for the SIG in accordance with Section 3. If the first SIG Forum does not endorse the proposed SIG Charter, the matter will be reported to the AGM/AMM. 2.2 Dissolving a SIG It is not assumed that a SIG will continue to exist indefinitely. Each SIG should periodically review its charter, in accordance with Section 1 (SIG Charter), to assess the SIG's usefulness and relevance. For the purposes of this section, the criteria for dissolution of a SIG may include: - lack of discussion on the mailing lists for more than one year; - lack of response to two consecutive calls for presentations at SIG Forums; - low attendance at SIG Forums; - substantial overlap with another SIG; - failure to comply with the SIG Charter; or - where the SIG itself determines that it has served its purpose and is no longer required. A SIG may be dissolved following this process: - a proposal to dissolve the SIG may be initiated by: - the SIG Chair or Co-Chair, acting after discussion with the SIG's members; or - the APNIC EC, where it reasonably believes that one or more criteria for dissolution has been met; - the SIG Chair or the Secretariat will give written notice of a proposal to dissolve the SIG to the SIG mailing list identifying the reasons for the proposed dissolution and provide a period of 90 days from the date of the proposal for the SIG to discuss and/or remediate the issue; - if the issue is not remediated, the proposal will proceed to a consensus call of the SIG (either via the SIG mailing list or at a SIG Forum) and, if consensus is reached, the reasons for dissolution will be published to the SIG mailing list and the APNIC website and must be reported to the AGM or AMM for confirmation; - the AGM / AMM will then determine via consensus call whether to dissolve the SIG The process broadly mirrors, in reverse, the SIG formation framework in Section 2.1. If a SIG is dissolved, all associated mailing lists will be closed for subscription, but the public archives will remain on the APNIC website. 2.3 SIG Chair and Co-Chair roles SIG Chairs and Co-Chairs perform a vital role in managing the SIGs. The effectiveness of a SIG is dependent on the active participation of the Chair and the Co-Chair. All SIG Chairs and Co-Chairs undertake their work on a volunteer basis. SIG Chairs and Co-Chairs are expected to attend at least one of the two APNIC Conferences held each year. The APNIC Secretariat provides Travel Support for SIG Chairs to meet these obligations. https://www.apnic.net/community/participate/sigs/sig-guidelines/sig-chair-travel-policy/ Note: Any amendments to the SIG Chair Travel Support is at the sole discretion of the APNIC EC. When SIG Chairs and Co-Chairs attend an APNIC Conference, and a SIG Forum is held for the SIG, they are expected to attend that SIG Forum. SIG Chairs and Co-Chairs must remain subscribed to the SIG's mailing list for the duration of their term. The roles of the Chair and Co-Chair are listed below: - responsible for facilitating discussions at the SIG, with respect to bottom-up and inclusive spirit, so that SIG participants are comfortable to express their opinions; - to accommodate all newly expressed opinions, relevant to the discussions topics at the SIG to be heard; - before making a consensus decision at the SIG Forum, explain to the participants what the question is or the decision to be made, and open up the floor for the participants to express their opinions; - to consider all opinions expressed in a balanced manner, before making the consensus decision; and - the consensus decision must be shared with the SIG participants. When reporting to the AGM/AMM about consensus decisions at the SIG, information should be consistent with what was shared with the SIG participants. 2.3.1 Chair responsibilities In addition to the roles described in Section 2.3 above, the responsibilities of the Chair are listed below. Before an APNIC Conference - Delegate tasks to Co-Chairs as necessary - Monitor mailing list discussions - Call for presentations on the appropriate mailing list - Read or review submitted proposals or presentations - Accept or reject proposals or presentations for discussion at the forthcoming SIG Forum (and suggest an alternative forum if the topic is not within SIG Charter). The Chair may decide that a proposal or presentation is not suitable for discussion at the forthcoming SIG Forum if: - The proposal or presentation is out of scope for the SIG charter - The proposal or presentation is insufficiently developed to be the basis for a useful discussion - The agenda has already been filled by topics of greater priority - Liaise with speakers as necessary - Coordinate with APNIC Secretariat to publish the SIG Forum agenda. At APNIC Conference - Chair the SIG Forum (at least one out of every two per year) - Create agenda presentation slides for the SIG Forum Present slides with SIG open action items (if any). Ask parties responsible for action items to report on the action item status - Encourage active participant involvement. - Confer with Co-Chairs and report any decisions they have reached to the SIG Forum - Present the SIG Forum report to the AGM/AMM 2.3.2 Co-Chair responsibilities In addition to the roles described in Section 2.3 above, the responsibilities of a Co-Chair include but are not limited to: - Attending at least one of the two APNIC Conferences each year and, where a SIG Forum is held for their SIG at that APNIC Conference, attending that SIG Forum - Remaining subscribed to the SIG mailing list for the duration of their time as Co-Chair - Monitoring SIG chat-room discussions and Q&As during the SIG Forum at APNIC Conferences - Undertaking any of the tasks normally performed by the SIG Chair, if requested - In the event that a Chair is unavailable to perform some of their duties, the Co-Chair will be expected to be the substitute as required. 3. Chair or Co-Chair Elections Chairs and Co-Chairs are elected for a two-year period. Elections occur yearly at APNIC standalone conference. Chair elections and Co-Chair elections occur in alternate years. Where a new SIG has been formed but no election has yet been held for Chair, the SIG Forum for that SIG will be conducted by an Acting Chair as determined by consensus of the BoF under Section 2.1, with the election held at the next Conference. A Chair or Co-Chair may serve a maximum of four terms across all SIGs. Partial terms do not count towards this limit. A current or past SIG Chair who has already served the maximum four terms and stands for re-election will be permitted one additional term, for continuity of the SIG, up to and including the 2027 SIG elections; this additional term is not available to a Chair or Co-Chair who has served fewer than four terms. The Chair and Co-Chair can serve up to two consecutive terms, followed by a cooling-off period of at least one year. After that, they can run for election again, provided they have not reached the maximum tenure limit of four terms. The first official Chair of a new SIG will serve for two years. For a newly formed SIG, the Chair and Co-Chair positions will be elected simultaneously at the SIG's first SIG Forum, so that the SIG is not left without a Co-Chair in its first year. To preserve the staggered election timetable thereafter, this initial Co-Chair term will be one year, with subsequent Co-Chairs serving a full two-year term. If a current Chair/Co-Chair resigns or is removed before the end of their term, the successor will take over the remaining term of the position, and not the regular term (two years). More than one Co-Chair may be appointed, either: - at the discretion of the Chair; or - where the SIG community reaches consensus at the SIG Forum to open a second Co-Chair position, in which case an election will be held for that position. A new Chair or Co-Chair is elected using the following process: 3.1 Call for nominations The APNIC Secretariat sends a call for nominations to the SIG mailing list and the apnic-talk@apnic.net mailing list so that the widest coverage is received. The call contains: - Details of the duties of the position - The closing date for nominations (one month after the initial call) - Where to submit nominations (usually by online form) - A request that potential nominees should include a short biography and description of their interest. 3.2 Confirm nominations Candidates must confirm that they are willing and able to commit to the responsibilities associated with the Chair and Co-Chair positions. If a candidate is not contactable via email, or does not respond, then their nomination will not be confirmed. Unconfirmed candidates will not be eligible for election to the position of SIG Chair or Co-Chair. 3.3 Criteria for election If more than one nomination is received by the closure date, an election must be held. If there is only one candidate, the candidate will be elected unopposed. 3.4 Election procedures SIG elections will use an online voting system selected and administered by the APNIC Secretariat. 3.4.1 Nominations - Nominations are managed by the APNIC Secretariat. - Nominees must reside within the Asia Pacific service region. Staff members of any Regional Internet Registry (RIR) or ICANN are ineligible for nomination. - Individuals cannot hold more than one elected position (EC, SIG, NRO NC, or IANA RC). Those who are elected to a new position must resign from any other currently held EC, SIG, NRO NC or IANA RC position as soon as practicable but no later than 30 days following the election. - Self-nominations are permitted. - A nominee must be eligible to vote as an in-person attendee under Section 3.4.3, that is, registered and attending the current conference and having attended at least one of the past eight APNIC or APRICOT conferences. - Nominees will be invited to provide a recorded video “candidate statement” to be published on the conference website. 3.4.2 Nomination period Nominations will open six (6) weeks before, and close two (2) weeks before, the APNIC conference. A reminder may be sent seven (7) days before the nominations close date. All nominations will be listed on the APNIC conference website after the APNIC Secretariat confirms the nominee is eligible, willing, and able to fulfil the role and obligations set out in this document. 3.4.3 Voting eligibility Each APNIC Member is entitled to cast one vote during the times noted in the SIG election timetable. Online voting entitlements for Member organizations are only available to those individuals who are: - Corporate Contacts, or - Authorized contacts with voting rights given by the Corporate Contact. In-person attendees at APNIC conferences are also eligible to vote in SIG elections. A conference attendee must meet the following criteria to vote: 1. Registered and attending the current conference in person. The attendee must be checked-in at the registration desk at any time from the start of the conference until 10.00am (conference local time) on the final day of the conference. 2. Registered and attended (in-person or online) at least one of the immediate past eight (8) APRICOT or APNIC standalone conferences (not including the current conference). Eligible registered attendees will vote online in the SIG elections and will be entitled to one vote each. Verification of an individual’s entitlement to vote against official records will be used where necessary. There is no proxy voting at SIG elections. APNIC staff and other RIR staff are ineligible to vote. 3.4.4 Voting period Online voting for APNIC Members and eligible registered conference attendees will open two (2) hours after the start of the APNIC conference and will close at the scheduled end of the lunch break on the last day of the relevant APNIC conference. 3.4.5 Voting Administration APNIC Secretariat staff will administer the voting process and answer any queries from voters. 3.4.6 Election results SIG election results will be announced at the relevant AMM or AGM by the Election Chair appointed for the elections at that Conference or otherwise APNIC Secretariat staff. Election results will also be published on the conference website. 3.4.7 Announcements Where applicable, announcements regarding the SIG elections will be posted to the conference website, SIG, and apnic-talk mailing lists. The SIG Chair or APNIC Secretariat staff will present information on online voting as the first item of the SIG Forum agenda. 3.4.8 Dates and Times SIG election dates and times will use pre-conference dates in the APNIC office time zone and conference-week dates in the conference location time zone, as determined by the APNIC Secretariat, and will be represented in UTC format. 3.5 Filling of positions If a current Co-Chair stands for the position of Chair and is elected, the newly vacant Co-Chair position will be filled by the remaining candidate for the Chair position with the next-highest number of votes, or, if there is no such candidate, by a call for volunteers at the next SIG Forum. 3.6 Removing a Chair or Co-Chair If a SIG Chair or Co-Chair does not attend one in every two APNIC Conferences and does not attend the SIG Forum held at the APNIC Conference, the APNIC EC will have discretion to remove the Chair or Co-Chair from their role. The process of electing a replacement will then begin. If SIG members do not think that the Chair or Co-Chair is sufficiently performing their duties (as described in this document or the relevant SIG Charter), they can express their concerns on the mailing list or in the SIG Forum. If there is consensus that the Chair or Co-Chair is not sufficiently performing their responsibilities, the Chair or Co-Chair will be removed by the APNIC EC. The process of electing a replacement will then begin. Before removing a Chair or Co-Chair under this section, the APNIC EC will: (a) give the Chair or Co-Chair written notice of the grounds for removal; (b) provide a period of 90 days from the date of the notice for the Chair or Co-Chair to respond before a decision is made; (c) provide written reasons for its decision; and (d) inform the SIG community of the outcome. If an individual holds more than one elected position and does not resign in accordance with section 3.4.1 within 30 days of their election, the APNIC EC has discretion to remove the individual from their elected positions/s (excluding the position for which they were most recently elected). 3.7 Resignation of a Chair or Co-Chair If a SIG Chair resigns, one of the Co-Chairs will assume the role of “Acting Chair” until the next SIG Forum. Where there is more than one Co-Chair, they will agree who acts, failing which the outgoing Chair (or, if the outgoing Chair declines to do so, the APNIC EC) will determine the Acting Chair. At least one month prior to the APNIC Conference, the APNIC Secretariat will initiate procedures for electing the new Chair as described in Section 3 of this document. If there is no Co-Chair, the outgoing Chair or the APNICE EC may appoint an “Acting Chair”. Any Acting Chair must meet the nominee eligibility criteria in Section 3.4.1 and must consent to the role. If a Co-Chair resigns, the Chair will follow the procedure for electing a Co-Chair described in Section 3 of this document. 4. Working Groups (WGs) A Working Group (WG) is formed to perform a specific task and report back to the body that created it. When a Working Group has completed its task(s), it is closed. A Working Group is usually small in size and consists of volunteers willing to dedicate themselves to one particular task. Working Groups usually conduct their discussions on the Working Group’s mailing list but may also request that time be given for face-to-face discussions at APNIC Conferences. The Chair and Co-Chair of a Working Group help maintain the group’s focus on the tasks delegated to it by the body that created it. Working Group Chairs may be elected using the process in Section 3 or may be appointed by the Chair of the body that created it. A Working Group can be established by the consensus of the body establishing it (such as a SIG, AGM/AMM, or the APNIC EC). The decision to establish a Working Group must record its mandate, scope, tasks or activities, membership, reporting line, and expected timeframe (its Terms of Reference). A Working Group is accountable to the body that established it and is closed once its task(s) are complete, or by the same means used to establish it. 5. Birds of a Feather (BoFs) Birds of a Feather meetings (BoFs) are informal meetings convened for a variety of purposes, such as exchanging information and discussing new ideas or particular issues. They can be proposed and convened at short notice and there is no formal requirement for submission of papers or posting to mailing lists. BoF proposals are submitted to the relevant Conference Program Committee, which decides whether to include a BoF in the conference program. Each BoF has a convenor who is responsible for organizing and running the session and for reporting on the results of the BoF at the AGM/AMM. BoFs are an important part of the process of forming a new Special Interest Group (SIG). When a new SIG has been recommended, preliminary BoFs must be held to determine interest in the proposed subject area, the readiness of individuals to volunteer as Chair, and to develop a charter. A new SIG cannot be created unless at least two BoFs have been held, consistent with Section 2.1. 6. SIG presenters SIG Chair(s) will issue a call for presentations at least two months before the APNIC Conference. 6.1 General presentation hints 6.1.1 Speaking The Asia Pacific region includes many different languages and cultures. English is not the first language for the majority of participants at APNIC Conference, and it is important that presentations are clear, easy to follow, and concise: - Speak slowly, even if English is your first language. - Use simple sentence structure rather than complex phrases. - Try to pause after every slide to give people a chance to absorb the material on the slide. - Remember to maintain eye contact with the audience. Avoid speaking to the screen or the floor. - Time your presentations before the SIG Forum. Speak out loud when you do this. 6.1.2 Presentation slides To help conference participants understand your presentation, and to ensure your slides can be read by remote participants watching the webcast of the conference, please: - Limit each slide to a maximum of four points, or six to eight lines. Slides with too much content are difficult to understand - Use large fonts if you include tables or diagrams - Use font and background colors with good contrast 7. Code of conduct APNIC coordinates many community activities, including conferences, meetings, trainings, workshops, social events, and digital platforms. These are organized for the benefit of all participants and are intended to be valuable and enjoyable to all. A Community Code of Conduct explains expectations for anyone participating in these events and platforms, including delegates, guests, speakers, contributors, commenters, APNIC staff and all others involved. It applies not only to physical events, but also to remote participants, online meeting spaces and digital platforms. The Community Code of Conduct applies to all SIG activities and to all participants, including Chairs and Co-Chairs, in the performance of their SIG leadership duties. A breach of the Code of Conduct by a Chair or Co-Chair may be considered under the removal process in Section 3.6. https://www.apnic.net/events/apnic-community-code-of-conduct/ 8. Procedure for changing these guidelines As these guidelines affect the running of all APNIC SIGs, Working Groups, BoFs and the Policy Development Process, any changes must reach consensus among participants of all SIGs. If a proposal is made to change the SIG Guidelines, the following steps would demonstrate consensus and implement the change. 1. A proposal, using the policy proposal template, will be posted to the mailing list for all SIGs at least four weeks prior to a joint SIG Forum at an APNIC Conference. https://www.apnic.net/about-apnic/corporate-documents/documents/policy-development/development-process/ 2. One Chair for each SIG will form a panel of Chairs to guide the joint SIG Forum and determine the outcome. 3. Following presentation of the proposal and community discussion, the Chairs will determine if the community has reached a consensus on the change. https://www.apnic.net/about-apnic/corporate-documents/documents/policy-development/development-process/ 4. One of the SIG Chairs will report the outcome to the AGM/AMM for its consideration. 5. If consensus is reached at the AGM/AMM, the Secretariat will make changes in accordance with the Document Editorial Policy. https://www.apnic.net/about-apnic/corporate-documents/documents/policy-development/editorial-policy/ 9. Transitional provisions The provisions of the SIG Guidelines (APNIC-128 version 004) which applied specifically to the Policy SIG will continue to have effect until such time as the Policy SIG Charter is updated to include relevant replacement provisions.