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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><U><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">SOUTH SUDAN SUPPORTS AU-ENDORSED UNIFORUM ZACR dotAFRICA (.AFRICA) BID<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-ZA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-ZA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Africa’s youngest nation has added its voice to the chorus of support for the bid to ensure the African online community is properly represented in cyberspace.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">The Republic of South Sudan (RSS) this week became the 39<SUP>th</SUP> African country to formally endorse the African Union-endorsed UniForum ZA Central Registry (ZACR) bid to administer the proposed .africa generic Top Level Domain (gTLD).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">The African Union Commission (AUC) endorsed the UniForum ZACR bid earlier this year and last week reaffirmed its support at the 44<SUP>th</SUP> meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in Prague, Czech Republic. ICANN will announce the successful .africa bidder in the first quarter of 2013.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Writing to the multinational Steercom that is managing the UniForum ZACR .africa bid, the RSS </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-ZA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Major-General Madut Biar Yel, stressed that the Republic supported the AUC .africa framework and, by extension, the UniForum ZACR .africa bid.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">The Honourable Minister also wrote that “as a newly-independent State and member of the African Union, we wish to compliment ICANN for the ongoing dialogue to establish the DotAfrica gTLD.” The letter was copied to the President of the RSS, NEPAD, ICANN and the AUC.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-ZA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Koffi Fabrice Djossou, Africa Liaison of </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">UniForum</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-ZA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> ZACR , has formally advised the AUC that the Republic of South Sudan has signed the </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">UniForum</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-ZA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">ZACR .africa bid letter of support which gives the </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">UniForum</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-ZA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">ZACR the moral authority to assert that its bid is Africa’s bid.</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">If successful UniForum, trading as the ZACR, will be allocating names to the public such as “example.africa”.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US">“The launch of .africa is an important branding opportunity for Africa and also an exercise in African unity. We simply cannot afford to have the responsibility for managing .africa conferred upon any other organisation besides the UniForum ZACR. It is the only bidding organisation on the African continent with the necessary skills and resources required to successfully manage Africa’s presence on the web,” concluded Mr Djossou.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-ZA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Follow the campaign on Facebook (facebook.com/africandomain) and Twitter (@<A href="http://twitter.com/africandomain">africandomain</A>) for the latest news and updates.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> </div></body>
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