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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS"">Facts
Regarding the African Union Commission (.Africa) application <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;
text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";mso-bidi-font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times
New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;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). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";mso-bidi-font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times
New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";mso-bidi-font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times
New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
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 style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Further
details
of this official application is available at:<o:p></o:p><span
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS""><a
href="http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1184">http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1184</a>
</span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Trebuchet MS""><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";mso-bidi-font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">4.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times
New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";mso-bidi-font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">5.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times
New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">The AUC/ZACR’s
application meets and exceeds,
the minimum evaluation criteria set by ICANN for application of
Geographic strings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";mso-bidi-font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">6.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times
New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">In particular:<span
style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">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 class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm">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
style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Trebuchet
MS";mso-bidi-font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">7.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times
New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"
style="text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
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:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><a
href="http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1184">http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1184</a></span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet
MS""><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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style="margin-left:0cm;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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