On Thu, 27 Aug 2026 at 22:06, Gaurav Kansal <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi Aftab, > > > Thank you for taking the time to go through the draft in detail. The > Working Group's responses to your three points are below. > > > *1. "APNIC Conference" and APRICOT* > > > The Working Group understands the distinction being drawn, but > respectfully does not think the draft is wrong on this point. > > > An APNIC Conference held in conjunction with APRICOT remains an APNIC > Conference in its own right. Co-location does not merge the two events or > subsume one into the other. APNIC classifies and identifies each of its > conferences as a distinct meeting, assigning it its own sequential meeting > number, whether it is held standalone or alongside APRICOT. On that basis, > referring to such a meeting as an APNIC Conference is consistent with > APNIC's own naming and identification practice, and the Working Group does > not read the draft as treating APRICOT itself as an APNIC Conference. > > > So while the Working Group's view is that the current usage is correct, if > the community would like the term expressly defined, or would prefer the > two-part formulation used consistently throughout, that is something the > Working Group can take forward. > > > [Responding to point 1 only. Will respond to other points separately.] I can accept the rationale that an APNIC meeting held in conjunction with APRICOT may be considered an APNIC Conference in its own right from the secretariat point of view. But then that makes me question the consistency of the terminology in the draft itself. If “APNIC Conference” is intended to include both annual meetings i.e. the meeting held alongside APRICOT and the standalone APNIC Conference then why does the document elsewhere specifically use “APNIC standalone conference”, and in section 3.4.3 separately refer to “APRICOT or APNIC standalone conferences”? For example, section 3 states: “Elections occur yearly at APNIC standalone conference.” while 3.4.3 refers to: “the immediate past eight (8) APRICOT or APNIC standalone conferences”. At the same time, sections 2.3 and 3.6 use the broader term “APNIC Conferences”. I think the fact that the document itself needs to distinguish “APRICOT” from “APNIC standalone conference” in some provisions demonstrates why the terminology needs to be defined and used consistently. We cannot treat “APNIC Conference” covering both events in one provision while explicitly distinguishing between APRICOT and the standalone APNIC Conference in another without explaining what each defined term means. Again, as Philip and both Jon pointed it out that there is a history behind why these terminologies were used and removing them without contextual understanding would be naive. I am less concerned about what APNIC secretariat chooses to call the meetings for their own understanding and more concerned that the Guidelines are precise and unambiguous for the community, thats what matters here. Now, There is a related issue that I think goes beyond the terminology around “APNIC Conference”. The Guidelines apply equally to all SIGs, but access to some SIGs during APRICOT is not necessarily equal. Routing Security SIG, NIR SIG and Cooperation SIG are held during the ticketed APRICOT programme, whereas Policy SIG and the APNIC Members Meeting (AGM) are held on the final day, which APNIC Members can attend without purchasing a full APRICOT ticket. This makes “APNIC Conference attendance” a problematic proxy for SIG participation. Someone may legitimately attend Policy SIG and the Members Meeting without having access to the other SIG Forums. Equally, conference attendance does not necessarily demonstrate participation in the particular SIG whose leadership is being elected or assessed. Since these Guidelines govern all SIGs, not conferences, I suggest that where attendance is relevant to voting eligibility or Chair/Co-Chair responsibilities, the test should focus on participation in the relevant SIG or SIG Forum rather than attendance at the surrounding conference. Regards, Aftab A. Siddiqui
_______________________________________________ SIG-policy - https://mailman.apnic.net/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
