<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px"><b>Facts Regarding the African Union Commission (.Africa) application<u></u><u></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px"><b><span><u></u> <u></u></span></b></p><p style="text-align:justify"><span><span>1.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">The African Union Commission’s (AUC) involvement in the dotAfrica (.Africa) Top Level Domain (TLD) process has been mandated by African Heads of State (OR Tambo Declaration) and African Minister’s in charge of ICT (Abuja Declaration).<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span><span>2.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">In fulfilling its mandate the AUC has, in accordance with an open and transparent Request for Proposal (RFP) process, officially endorsed UniForum SA t/a the ZA Central Registry (ZACR) to apply for and launch the dotAfrica (.Africa) TLD.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span><span>3.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">The AUC/ZACR, in accordance with the procedures and standards prescribed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), has officially lodged an application with ICANN for the delegation of the (.Africa), under reference number: 1-1243-89583. This application constitutes the official AUC endorsed application for the dotAfrica (.Africa) Top Level Domain. <span> </span>Further details of this official application is available at:<u></u><u></u><span> </span></span><span><a href="http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1184" target="_blank">http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1184</a> </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><span> </span><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span><span>4.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">There is a competing private application, for a confusingly similar string, lodged by DotConnectAfrica Trust. The application for the dotdotAfrica (.dotAfrica) TLD string, under reference number 1-1165-42560.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span><span>5.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">The AUC/ZACR’s application meets and exceeds, the minimum evaluation criteria set by ICANN for application of Geographic strings.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span><span>6.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">The AUC/ZACR’s application, is correctly designated as a geographic application in accordance with the criteria and processes outlined in ICANN’s Applicant Guidebook.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">In particular:<span> </span><i>Africa (and therefore .Africa) is a clearly designated geographic area as defined in the UNESCO “Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings” list (<a href="http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm" target="_blank">http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm</a>).</i>Therefore the designation of the official dotAfrica (.Africa) TLD string application, as a geographic name, is technically and procedurally correct. The "geographic evaluation process" that this application is subject to provides sufficient checks and balances for the protection of interests and rights of African governments and the pan-African community.<span> </span><i><u></u><u></u></i></span></p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span><span>7.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">The AUC endorsed dotAfrica (.Africa) application has been, and continues to be, a collaborative African initiative involving African governments, ICT stakeholders and the broader African community.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'">In this regard the stated mission and objective of the AUC’s officially endorsed application is enshrined in its answers to question 18 of the Application, which is publicly available on the ICANN New gTLD website </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><a href="http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1184" target="_blank">http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1184</a></span><span><span> </span><span class="HOEnZb"><u></u><u></u></span></span></p>
<span class="HOEnZb"><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Trebuchet MS'"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></span></span><br><div id="WISESTAMP_SIG_2293"><div style="font-size:13.3px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<div style="margin:0 0 8px 0"><table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr valign="top">
<td><img src="http://graph.facebook.com/1167175520/picture" alt="logo"><span style="font-size:small"> <br></span></td>
<td style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:small"><strong>Brian Munyao Longwe</strong></span><br>
<div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><span style="font-size:small"><span> | Mobile: 254715964281</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size:small"><a href="http://mashilingi.blogspot.com">http://mashilingi.blogspot.com</a><br></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><div style="clear:both"></div></div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/brianmunyao" style="text-decoration:underline"><img width="16" height="16" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px 0px; vertical-align: middle;" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.wisestamp.com/facebook.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/brianmunyao" style="text-decoration:underline">Facebook</a> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/blongwe" style="text-decoration:underline"><img width="16" height="16" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px 0px; vertical-align: middle;" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.wisestamp.com/twitter.png"></a> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/blongwe" style="text-decoration:underline">Twitter</a> <a href="http://ke.linkedin.com/pub/brian-munyao-longwe/0/32/254" style="text-decoration:underline"><img width="16" height="16" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px 0px; vertical-align: middle;" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.wisestamp.com/linkedin.png"></a> <a href="http://ke.linkedin.com/pub/brian-munyao-longwe/0/32/254" style="text-decoration:underline">LinkedIn</a><br>
Contact me: <img width="16" height="16" alt="Skype" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px 0px; vertical-align: middle;" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.wisestamp.com/skype.png"> blongwe<br>
</font><div style="width:auto;padding-top:2px;font-size:70%;border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;margin-top:10px">
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><a style="text-decoration:none" href="http://r1.wisestamp.com/r/landing?promo=16&dest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisestamp.com%2Femail-install%3Futm_source%3Dextension%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dpromo_16">
Want a signature like mine?
</a>
<a href="http://r1.wisestamp.com/r/landing?promo=16&dest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisestamp.com%2Femail-install%3Futm_source%3Dextension%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dpromo_16">Click here.</a>
<img border="0" width="1" height="1" src="http://pr1.wisestamp.com/p.gif?promo=16">
</font></div>
<img src="https://wisestamp.appspot.com/pixel.png?p=safari&v=3.11.17.0&t=1343364786618&u=c1d0b34712c91d91" width="1" height="1"></div></div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 4:17 AM, Dr Yassin Mshana <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ymshana2003@gmail.com" target="_blank">ymshana2003@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Hi <div>In this world, Diplomacy matters a great deal - may stop wars or start wars when it fails. </div><div><br></div>
<div>From what have reading and based on the trend of events... there is a belief that the AU was not used/misused properly - why was it important to run to AU before the African Community which AU represents as an Organisation? </div>
<div><br></div><div>I wish to absolve AU from this saga since I am convinced to believe that the Advisory to AU 'is in persons' were or are involved in the <.africa> saga.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, it is difficult to rule out that to 'hold' a meeting purported to be between AU and ICANN 44 in Prague is a simple thing to do without the necessary sanctions - to dig deeper I for one would like t ask, "was such type of meetings in the standing schedules of AU?" this is question which is seeking for enlightenment.</div>
<div><br></div><div>To dig deeper for facts, was the meeting in Prague scheduled as per AU mandate ? that is short of asking similar question to what happened during ICANN-43 Dakar when Hon Ministers were in attendance. The Diplomacy of the Internet seems to be different whereby a meeting may take place without observing the protocol of letting all know? OR were the Meetings of extraordinary strategic importance that we know about them later?</div>
<div> <br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div class="h5">On 27 July 2012 00:24, McTim <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dogwallah@gmail.com" target="_blank">dogwallah@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div><div class="h5">
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div>On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 11:19 AM, Y Mshana2003 <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ymshana2003@gmail.com" target="_blank">ymshana2003@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>My problem is the way the AU was brought in and used in this saga..<br></div></blockquote></div><div><br><br>How would you have done it?<br><br clear="all">The Guidebook didn't specify HOW it would be done, and that is perhaps something that we can blame ICANN for (since ICANN is ourselves however, we only have ourselves to blame).<br>
</div></div><div><div><br>-- <br>Cheers,<br><br>McTim<br>"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel<br>
</div></div><br></div></div><div class="im">_______________________________________________<br>
AfrICANN mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:AfrICANN@afrinic.net" target="_blank">AfrICANN@afrinic.net</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann" target="_blank">https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann</a><br>
<br></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="im"><div><i><b>Independent Consultant</b></i></div><div>c/o DFID-Sierra Leone</div>5 Off Spur Road, Wilberforce<br>Freetown,SIERRA LEONE<br>
Skype: yassinmshana1, Mobile:+23276926697, Fax: (+232) 22235769<br><div><b style>Do You really NEED TO PRINT THIS?</b></div><div><span> </span><i> "The illiterates of the 21st century are not those who cannot read or</i><div>
<i> write</i><i> but those who cannot learn, relearn and unlearn" Alvin Toffler</i></div></div><br>
</div></div>
<br>_______________________________________________<br>
AfrICANN mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:AfrICANN@afrinic.net">AfrICANN@afrinic.net</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann" target="_blank">https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br>