Board Formation

The DotAsia Board is comprised of a maximum of 11 members: 8 elected by Sponsor Members (ccTLDs in Asia Pacific), 2 elected by Co-Sponsor Members (Internet organizations in Asia Pacific), and 1 seat being the CEO appointed by the Board. Each elected member serves for 2-year terms and are eligible for re-election.  Elected Board members serve on the DotAsia board as individuals and on a volunteer basis committed to the benefit of DotAsia and towards the Vision and Mission of the organization.

Board Governance

DotAsia is governed in accordance to its Articles of Association, along with governance policies established by the DotAsia Board.  Board processes, roles and responsibilities are set out in the Board Governance Framework (BGC-001).  Governance policies are reviewed and updated from time to time by respective Board Committees.

Related: Proposed Amendments to the DotAsia Articles of Association 2023

Board Elections & AGM

Board Elections are held annually prior to the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is usually held in conjunction with APRICOT at the AP* Retreat.  Nominations and voting by DotAsia Members are made online.  Each year, a set of Board Elections Procedures (BEP) is developed by the Board with open consultation from the membership and the community.

Advisory Council (AC)

The DotAsia Advisory Council (AC), is comprised of 11 or more members, and provides advise to the Board on all policy matters.  AC members are appointed by Co-Sponsor Members (1 representative from each Co-Sponsor Member) and by the Board.  AC members serve on the DotAsia AC as individuals on a volunteer basis and in accordance with the AC Terms of Reference (AC-TOR).

DotAsia Members

DotAsia is a community organization with a membership that elects and appoints individuals to the governance bodies of DotAsia.  The Member Rights and Obligations are laid out in the DotAsia Membership Briefing as follows:

DotAsia Members are expected to benefit from:

• Participation in the governance of the first global TLD from Asia, for Asia
• Bringing views and perspectives from local or constituent communities to the policy development and activities of the .Asia Registry
• Participation in the development of the directives of DotAsia, as a not-for-profit organisation, to reinvest its proceeds back into the Asia community
  Involvement in the promotion of the adoption and usage of the Internet in Asia at large
• Collaborative efforts and sharing of ideas for the development of the community between counterparts and like-minded organisations around Asia

DotAsia Members are expected to contribute to:

• The promotion of the .Asia domain:
• Assist in raising public awareness of the .ASIA domain in general
• Work closely with the .Asia Registry on activities in the local or constituent communities
• Jointly promote positive usage of domain names including .Asia and the ccTLDs in the local or constituent communities
• Participate in meetings and discussions for development of DotAsia
• The nomination of board and advisory council members
• Voting during elections and constitutional matters
• Identification of or development of community programs suitable for DotAsia to participate in

DotAsia operates as an independent not-for-profit organization for the benefit of the global Asia Pacific Internet community towards its Vision and Mission, to manage the .Asia Sponsored gTLD registry and to dedicate its surpluses towards community activities that support socio-technological advancement and collaboration in the Asia Pacific Internet community.  The DotAsia mandate is further articulated as an operative framework in the DotAsia Core Values & Core Competence Framework (BCC-001).

Member & Governance Mailing Lists

Email is the main communication tool facilitating communications between DotAsia and Members, as well as within the governance bodies of DotAsia.  You can see brief descriptions and listing of the DotAsia Member and Governance Mailing Lists.

DotAsia Team

DotAsia employs the best staff available from around Asia Pacific and globally.  You can learn more about the DotAsia Team from the brief bios posted.

Code of Conduct

DotAsia Board, AC, staff, representatives and members participating in DotAsia activities are subject to the DotAsia Code of Conduct, which also sets out the complaints reporting and remedial processes.

Privacy & Confidentiality

All DotAsia Team, Board and AC members are subject to confidentiality requirements and all operations adhere to the DotAsia Privacy Policy.

Audited Financial Reports

The DotAsia books and accounts are audited annually, and audited financial reports are posted on our website.  The appointed CPA firm is internationally established and/or within an internationally recognized network.

Budget & Strategic Direction

Prior to 2020, DotAsia budgets were developed biannually (for 2 year periods).  Since 2020, DotAsia budgets are prepared annually.  The breakdown of the budget is reported at the DotAsia AGM.  Since 2011, the strategic direction and priorities of DotAsia’s works in the upcoming year have been  reported each year at the DotAsia AGM.

Financial Services & Operations

In addition to the annual financial audit, DotAsia retains a CPA firm, who has direct access to the Board, for internal financial services to enhance accountability of our financial operations.  Procurement processes are further laid out in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on Finance & Procurement (BFC-001).

Procurement Processes

DotAsia maintains a Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for Finance & Procurement (BFC-001), to ensure that proper financial control through consistent application of rules and procedures are applied to procurement and financial processes, as well as to advance DotAsia’s commitment to select competitive and competent outsourced providers

.Asia Registry Policy Development

.Asia Registry policies are developed and drafted by the DotAsia team working with our technology providers to ensure technical suitability and ICANN compliance.  Advice from the AC is sought, and drafts posted publicly and announced to DotAsia Members for comments before finalized by the Board.

Security and Mitigations Against Abuse

DotAsia works closely with our Backend Registry Services provider to proactively act against abuse in the .Asia Registry.  Furthermore, DotAsia engages with regional and international organizations to discuss and address security and other abuses, such as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and DNS Abuse.

Governance Policy Development

DotAsia organizational governance policies are developed by corresponding Board Committees and adopted by the DotAsia Board.  The AC and DotAsia Members generally are encouraged to discuss and provide feedback to the policies through the Members Mailing Lists and/or to send your suggestions to Membership Enquiries.

Collaborative Asia Pacific Internet Community

DotAsia regularly participates in the Internet Governance ecosystem and cooperates with a number of regional and global organizations in the Internet community, ICANN, IETF, IGF, etc.  DotAsia is honored to be serving as the secretariat for important regional and global Internet Governance initiatives, including the APrIGF and the IGFSA.  DotAsia also engages with its Members in various capacities to advance an open, multistakeholder driven model of Internet cooperation.