20(c) Provide a description of the community-based purpose of the applied-for gTLD

Prototypical answer:

His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam, has established, within the framework of the Ismaili Constitution, National, Regional and Local Councils responsible for overall social governance; and Central Institutions for the provision of services to the community in education, health, social welfare, housing, economic welfare, cultural and women’s activities, youth and sports development. The Constitution also incorporates Religious Education Boards for the provision of religious education at all levels of the community, for the requisite human resource development and for research and publication. National and International Conciliation and Arbitration Boards have been established to encourage amicable resolution of conflicts through impartial conciliation and arbitration, a service which is being increasingly used, in some countries, even by non-Ismailis.

The institutions established under the Ismaili Constitution exist in over 25 countries around the world, where the community lives in substantial numbers, and is continuously being extended to Ismaili communities around the world who do not yet benefit from this organisational structure. These institutions are the intended registrants of this TLD. There are a total of over 4,000 people engaged at the senior levels of these institutions, and many thousands more, serving as volunteers elsewhere in the system, many of whom will be end users or beneficiaries of this TLD.

In addition, the community currently has a primary website: www.TheIsmaili.org as well as a number of sites operated individually by different institutions and boards around the world. It is expected that these sites will be brought under the new TLD.

As documented earlier, the Ismaili community has existed for over 1,400 years, and its institutions have a long history. As such, the purpose of this TLD application will have a lasting nature, as it is expected that these institutions will continue to serve the Ismaili community for many years in the future.

The Aga Khan Foundation is applying for the .ISMAILI TLD with the overall purpose of creating a consistent, online experience for the end-user, with this TLD being focused on the members of the Ismaili institutions. The Aga Khan Foundation or its representatives will communicate the availability and purpose of the .ISMAILI TLD to the qualifying institutions through existing, established channels. This will include information on how the domain is to be used, who can register, and the means of ensuring the mission is carried out at all times. (For information on registration policies and enforcement, see response #20a.)

Similar gTLD applications: (0)