<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>+1 Mark,</div><div>This is definitely an important damage to ICANN/GAC-Advice governance model and reinforce the USA's requirement of less governments intervention in ICANN post IANA-transition.</div><div><br></div><div>ICANN should have left the DCA's application follow the entire review process and fail/pass without the intervention of the GAC-Advice and others. The GAC has to learn from this and improve its way of producing advice. </div><div><br></div><div>Thanks to DCA for reminding to ICANN's GAC and Board that every ICANN's decision should always be taken in strict respect of its bylaws/policies and not to please any entity or government. </div><div><br></div><div>Good luck to the .africa moving forward. And a reminder to the challengers (DCA and ZACR)...Africans want .africa to be operated by Africans for Africa. I hope both of you share the same ideal despite all...</div><div>Best regards,</div><div>Victor. <br><br><div>************</div><div>Victor Ndonnang</div><div><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/VictorNdonnang" style="font-size: 13pt;">https://twitter.com/VictorNdonnang</a></div><div><span style="font-size: 13pt;">~Sent from my iPhone~</span></div></div><div><br>On Jul 13, 2015, at 11:18, Mark Elkins <<a href="mailto:mje@posix.co.za">mje@posix.co.za</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>On Mon, 2015-07-13 at 14:36 +0000, Badru Ntege wrote:</span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>On 7/13/15, 4:29 PM, "Mark Elkins" <<a href="mailto:mje@posix.co.za">mje@posix.co.za</a>> wrote:</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>The ZACR application has already passed the Geographic panel. The</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>requirement here was to have at least 60% acceptance (letters of</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>support) from the 54 African countries. As the ZACR passed - they must</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>have 60% (more like over 85% I believe). Strangely enough, DCA still</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>insists that ZACR has zero letters.... although I believe the opposite</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>to be more probable.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>There can only be one letter from any one country.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>It is therefore mathematically impossible for DCA to pass.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>The DCA can only further delay the process. I believe the inevitable is</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>that ZACR will continue with the Delegation. ZACR has already signed the</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>contract with ICANN to run AFRICA.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>So it¹s just a matter of going through the process unless DCA suggests</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>that the governments were coerced to give the letters of support.</span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>That should be unlightly...</span><br><span></span><br><span>At an African Ministerial conference (Oliver Tambo meeting - next to OR</span><br><span>Tambo - Johannesburg International Airport) - The Ministers of Africa</span><br><span>agreed that it would be good to have "AFRICA" as a gTLD... for Africa.</span><br><span></span><br><span>That they would empower the African Union to manage this process...</span><br><span></span><br><span>The African Union consequently went out to tender on this....</span><br><span></span><br><span>The ZACR won this AU tender...</span><br><span></span><br><span>DCA refused to join the tender process...</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>... so I'm not sure which African governments would be coerced.. as they</span><br><span>collectively agreed upon this to begin with. Even Morocco (not an AU</span><br><span>Member) has agreed in writing to ZACR managing "AFRICA".</span><br><span></span><br><span>ie - this is what African Governments agreed to and the path they</span><br><span>elected to pursue.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>I think the court victory if that is what it can be called seems to be the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>best that can happen for DCA. The process should continue to its eventual</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>end which seems to favor ZACR.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>#WE NEED our .africa</span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>Agreed.</span><br><span></span><br><span>The worse though, is the damage to ICANN's reputation, the GAC and</span><br><span>potentially the IANA Transition.</span><br><span></span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>Regards</span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>-- </span><br><span>Mark James ELKINS - Posix Systems - (South) Africa</span><br><span><a href="mailto:mje@posix.co.za">mje@posix.co.za</a> Tel: +27.128070590 Cell: +27.826010496</span><br><span>For fast, reliable, low cost Internet in ZA: <a href="https://ftth.posix.co.za">https://ftth.posix.co.za</a></span><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>AfrICANN mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:AfrICANN@afrinic.net">AfrICANN@afrinic.net</a></span><br><span><a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann">https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann</a></span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>