Cooperation Working Group

The RIPE community decision-making processes are open to anyone, meaning that anyone with an interest can suggest policy, take part in reviewing documents and participate on mailing lists and at RIPE Meetings. To encourage participation from people and organisations outside the traditional RIPE community, a number of special outreach programs have been developed, including a series of Governmental Roundtable Meetings, at which RIPE community members and government representatives can meet and discuss common areas of interest. Government representatives participate in RIPE Meetings, and the RIPE NCC actively reaches out to governments and others in the public sector to inform them on issues related to the RIPE community and engage them on issues related to RIPE and RIPE NCC activities.

The Cooperation Working Group is a forum for discussion focusing on cooperation between the private and public sectors on Internet matters. This kind of cooperation has taken on increased prominence in recent years, as the wider Internet community strives to ensure that all voices are heard and the interests of all parties are considered. Fostering more open dialogue between all stakeholders is vital to ensuring the continued stability of the Internet.

The working group discusses the following:

1. The working group will primarily discuss outreach from the traditional RIPE community to everyone else, especially governments, regulators and NGOs, all of whom we are trying to bring into our community. Topics are not to duplicate issues discussed in other working groups. This working group should complement the other working groups and help participants engage in appropriate work.
2. The RIPE NCC's current outreach activities will be reported, and the RIPE NCC will seek advice and guidance on future activities. This is to make the discussions more focused - currently the only forum for these discussions is the ripe-list mailing list.
3. The working group will develop and clarify the RIPE community's position on issues that are of relevance to the public sector or on which a community position has been sought.
4. The working group will be responsible for maintenance of the RIPE Document produced by the Enhanced Cooperation Task Force, describing the RIPE community, existing policy development processes and outreach programs. The working group explicitly does not have change control over the RIPE Policy Development Process (PDP) itself.

The working group is also an important channel through which the RIPE community can communicate with others in the Information Society. The Chairs are not to become special Ambassadors for RIPE. Their role is the same as other RIPE Working Group chairs, which implies they of course could be asked now and then what the status of the working group is. The process by which RIPE and RIPE NCC respectively coordinate with other bodies (such as the NRO) and communicate (mostly via RIPE NCC or the chair of RIPE) is not changed by the creation and existence of this working group.

Next selection: RIPE 89

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