ASO, NRO
Participation in the International Community
LACNIC is one of the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) worldwide responsible for allocating resources (such as IP addresses and ASNs) in their respective regions. This is done in a coordinated manner and with strong community involvement.
In addition to LACNIC, which serves Latin America and the Caribbean, the four other RIRs are:
- AfriNIC: Covers the African region; it is the most recent RIR, recognized by ICANN in 2005.
- APNIC: Provides services in the Asia-Pacific region.
- ARIN: Manages North America and part of the Caribbean.
- RIPE NCC: Serves Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
The Address Supporting Organization
The ASO (Address Supporting Organization) is ICANN’s advisory body on matters related to number resources (IP addresses and autonomous system numbers). It was formally established in October 1999 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the directors of the three existing RIRs at the time: APNIC, ARIN, and RIPE NCC.
Its creation formalized within ICANN a global policy development system that was already in place among the RIRs, recognizing that these organizations existed and operated before ICANN itself.
The ASO's Address Council is composed of three representatives from each RIR. Its main functions are:
- To review and develop recommendations on IP address policy,
- To advise the ICANN Board on issues relating to number resources, and
- To appoint two members of the ICANN Board.
Out of the three representatives per region:
- Two are elected by the community.
- One is appointed by the Board of the respective RIR.
Current LACNIC representatives on the ASO Address Council:
| Name | Country | Term |
| Jorge Daniel Villa | Cuba | 1st January 2024 – 31st December 2026 |
| Ricardo Patara | Brazil | 1st January 2025 – 31st December 2027 |
| Esteban Lescano* | Argentina | 1st January 2025 – 31st December 2025 |
*Appointed by the LACNIC Board of Directors
The list of previous ASO AC members and the ASO Review are also available on our website.
The Number Resources Organization
The NRO (Number Resource Organization) was created on 24 October 2003 with the aim of providing a visible cooperation framework for RIRs. It was initially composed of APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and the RIPE NCC.
Later, following its recognition as an RIR, AfriNIC joined the NRO on 27 April 2005, becoming the fifth member of the NRO.
In October 2004, the NRO and ICANN signed a Memorandum of Understanding through which the NRO assumed the functions of the ASO, as defined in the ICANN Bylaws. Since then, the NRO has served as the interface between the RIRs and the global Internet governance ecosystem.
Its main goals are:
- To protect unallocated IP address space,
- To promote and safeguard policy development through open participatory processes,
- To coordinate the actions of the RIRs on matters of common interest, and
- To serve as a communications channel between the RIRs and the global Internet community.