Summary of the Board Meeting Minutes (15 December 2021)

On 15 December 2021, the APTLD Board held a regular teleconference meeting, which was attended by all the Board Members, and considered a range of matters. A summary of the Meeting is published in this document.

GM’s Update on Progress in Preparations for APTLD81

The Board received the GM’s update on the COVID19 policy in Laos and, pursuant to the APTLD Meeting Relocation Policy, agreed with the proposal to relocate the Members Meeting and AGM to Dubai, UAE and to hold them in a hybrid format on 23 and 24 February 2022. The Board expressed profound thanks to the Government of Laos, the Ministry of Technology and Communications, and LANIC, and to the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority of UAE for their support and commitment to the community.

The Board also suggested GM communicate with vendors in Laos to ensure the postponement of the respective contracts to 2023; GM and Secretariat together with the Board Program Committee revise the agenda and present it to the Board by 21 December, and promptly launch the preparations for the Meeting.

The Board also suggested the Secretariat promptly launch a Call for Applications for APTLD81 Fellowships including: 2 nominations for the Pacific; 3 nominations for South and South-East Asia; 2 nominations for Eurasia; 3 nominations for the Middle East subregions.

GM’s Update on Progress in Preparations for APTLD82

The Board took notice of the update.

GM’s Update on the 2021 Budget

The Board took notice of the update.

The 2nd round of Review of the GM’s Draft Business Plan for 2022

The Board reviewed the GM’s Draft Business Plan for 2022 and approved it as is.

Review of Auditor’s Bids for 2022 and Development of Recommendation for the 2022 AGM on the Matter

In line with the APTLD SOP on Procurement and Finance, the Board reviewed two competitive bids to auditing the APTLD accounts in 2022 and agreed to recommend Flexkin, Inc (Hong Kong) to the members at the AGM to act as Auditor for APTLD in 2022.

Review of the Application for Associate Membership in APTLD by the Russian Institute for Public Networks (ROSNIIROS)

The Board reviewed the application and resolved that whereas ROSNIIROS domiciled in Moscow, Russia, is listed in the IANA database as the Manager and Administrative Contact of .SU, which under the previous Manager was an Associate Member of APTLD, to re-admit it as an Associate Member on the same terms as before and suggest GM and the Secretariat follow the standard APTLD admission procedure.

Review of the Agreement with OCSC and the Cybersecurity Training Curriculum for the APTLD Members in the Pacific

In line with the MOU between OCSC and APTLD signed earlier in the year, the Board resolved to jointly fund a cybersecurity training program for APTLD members to be presented by OCSC staff in 2022.

Review of a Draft Contract for Conference Management Services with Brightstar, Inc., New Zealand

The Board reviewed a draft contract with BrightStar, Inc. (formerly ConfereNZ) and resolved that pursuant to the decision to relocated APTLD81 to Dubai and hold it in a hybrid format  and that due to time constraints APTLD Members Meeting Relocation Policy tender procedures should be waived. It was resolved to appoint BrightStar for APTLD81 with a view to going back to market for tenders for APTLD 82 and beyond.

Review of the GM’s Memorandum on an APTLD’s Membership in ITU

The Board discussed the matter and suggested GM gather and share additional information to let it make an informed decision on the matter.

The Board also discussed a number of other financial and administrative matters.