Association for Progressive Communications

Association for Progressive Communications
Name	Association for Progressive Communications
Abbrev	APC
Formation	1990
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Johannesburg, South Africa
Region served	Global

Association for Progressive Communications is an international network of organisations and activists working on information and communication technologies and human rights with roots in Internet activism, civil society and social movements. Founded in 1990 during a period of rapid expansion of the World Wide Web, the organisation has engaged with issues spanning gender equality, environmental justice, development studies, and digital rights across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. APC has collaborated with a range of actors including United Nations agencies, regional bodies such as the African Union, and international coalitions like People's Coalition for the Information Society.

History

APC emerged from networks active at events such as the World Summit on the Information Society and initiatives linked to Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Oxfam, Mozilla Foundation, and early email and Usenet communities. Key moments include its formation during dialogues influenced by actors from South Africa, Brazil, Philippines, India, United Kingdom, and United States. APC's trajectory intersected with conferences like the Internet Governance Forum, the WSIS Tunis phase, and alliances with academic centres such as MIT Media Lab and University of the Western Cape. Over time APC engaged in projects alongside Engineers Without Borders, Creative Commons, Open Society Foundations, and regional partners including CIPPEC and Red de Comunicadores.

Mission and Objectives

APC states objectives that align with agendas advanced by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and activists from Women Deliver and Global Fund for Women: advancing rights to access, free expression, and participation online. Its mission echoes principles articulated at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in frameworks promoted by the United Nations Human Rights Council and UN Women, focusing on inclusivity for groups represented by Indigenous Peoples organizations, LGBTI networks, and refugee advocacy organisations. APC objectives include strengthening capacity of partners such as IT for Change, GenderIT, and Digital Rights Foundation to influence policy arenas like the Internet Governance Forum and the World Trade Organization where TRIPS and GATS discussions affect digital policy.

Programs and Services

APC operates programs that interlink with initiatives by Access Now, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Article 19, Global Voices, and Coding Rights. Services include capacity building reminiscent of training offered by UNDP and World Bank digital inclusion programmes, research comparable to work from Oxford Internet Institute and Berkman Klein Center, and technical support alongside Network Startup Resource Center and regional internet registries such as AfriNIC. APC runs campaigns and toolkits used by civil society groups like Backbone Foundation, La Red, and Women'sNet; these efforts touch on topics debated at European Court of Human Rights, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and national courts including Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Governance and Membership

Governance structures reflect models used by organisations such as Greenpeace International, Transparency International, and Amnesty International with an international board, membership assembly, and regional nodes. APC's membership comprises NGOs, social enterprises, and community networks similar to Hullabaloo Network, Freifunk, Guifi.net, APC member organisations in Latin America, and research institutes such as Center for Internet and Society and University of Cape Town centres. Decision-making processes have been compared to practices at ICANN and deliberations at the Internet Governance Forum.

Funding and Partnerships

APC has received funding and partnered with institutions including Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, European Commission, International Development Research Centre, and philanthropic programmes like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Collaborations extend to multilateral bodies such as UN Women, International Telecommunication Union, and UNESCO, and alliances with technical partners like Mozilla Foundation and ISOC (Internet Society).

Impact and Advocacy

APC's advocacy has influenced policy debates at Internet Governance Forum, World Summit on the Information Society, and submissions to the United Nations Human Rights Council on the right to privacy and surveillance. The network's work on gender and technology has been cited alongside efforts by Gender at Work, Women in Global Health, and HeForShe. APC-supported research and campaigns contributed to litigation and policy reforms in jurisdictions including South Africa, Brazil, India, and Kenya, and fed into global discussions driven by Privacy International, Access Now, and Global Network Initiative.

Criticism and Controversies

APC has faced critiques similar to those directed at other international NGOs such as Amnesty International and Transparency International concerning funding transparency, prioritisation between Northern and Southern members, and governance models resembling debates within Oxfam and Save the Children. Controversies have included debates over partnerships with governmental donors like Sweden's Sida and multilateral agencies such as the European Commission, echoing tensions seen in Civil Society Space discussions and in cases involving NGO accountability and representation at forums like UN Human Rights Council.

Category:Non-governmental organizations Category:Internet governance Category:Digital rights organizations