Introductions

From our chair

From our director

About APC

Our vision

All people have easy and affordable access to a free and open internet to improve their lives and create a more just world.

Our mission

APC’s mission is to empower and support organisations, social movements and individuals in and through the use of ICTs to build strategic communities and initiatives for the purpose of making meaningful contributions to equitable human development, social justice, participatory political processes and environmental sustainability.

Our strategy

APC’s key result areas (KRAs) are identified by its members: organisations from different countries around the world, most of them in the global South. Through a multi-part consultative process within the network, analysis of current challenges in mobilising ICTs for social justice, and input from close partners, APC agreed on six KRAs to guide its work through 2019. Read APC’s Theory of Change for the period 2016-2019.

Member grants

Working locally to achieve a common vision: APC member grants

In 2016, APC initiated a new subgranting programme, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), aimed at enabling our member organisations to contribute towards achieving APC’s vision. Two types of grants were offered: project grants and small grants for research and campaigns.

The project grants are intended to contribute to the implementation of APC’s strategic plan at the national level, as well as to strengthen ongoing work of APC members that is linked to APC’s strategic priorities.

The small grants are for local campaigns that contribute to members’ advocacy work, and are also meant to enable members to participate in APC-wide campaigns.

With the funding provided by Sida, APC will be able to support member projects for the next three years. During the first year of the subgranting programme, our members have done incredible work. Check out the project grants implemented in 2016 here, and the small grants here.

 

Our impact

1. Access

People who are digitally excluded on the basis of where they live, gender, class, disability or identity, have affordable and sustainable connectivity that allows them to share and communicate.

2. Rights

Human rights norms and standards integrate gender and development, and are respected and promoted in internet and ICT policy, governance, development and practice.

3. A feminist internet

Women’s rights and sexual rights activists engage with internet and ICT policy and development as feminist issues.

4. Governance

Internet-related and ICT policy processes protect the publicness of the internet and are accessible, democratic, transparent, accountable and inclusive.

5. Use and development

Civil society actors, women’s rights and sexual rights advocates have the capacity to confidently use the internet and ICTs, and engage critically in their development.

6. APC community

The APC community of members, allies and partners are strengthened as a network and work collaboratively to use the internet and ICTs for social and environmental justice, gender equality and sustainable development.

Individual member highlights

APC opened up membership to individual members in 2012, and was joined by seven that first year. By December 2016, there were 27 individual members in the APC network, from 24 countries on six continents. This year, we decided to launch a new section in the APC Annual Report to learn more about, and from, our individual members. We asked them two questions:

What was your main “discovery” in the field of internet for development, human rights and social justice in 2016? (initiatives, events, networks, policies, etc.)

What was the best technology-related reading you came across in 2016?

Publications

Below are just a few of the many publications published by APC in 2016.  For a comprehensive list see our 2016 Publications page.

 

Annual Report 2015

Annual Report 2015

Global Information Society Watch 2016

Global Information Society Watch 2016

Feminist Principles of the Internet - Version 2.0

Feminist Principles of the Internet – Version 2.0

Members

In 2016, APC had 51 organisational members active in 60 countries.

Organisational members Individual members

Organisational members

Individual members

In 2016, APC had 27 individual members from 24 countries

Argentina

  • Roxana Goldstein

Australia

  • Andrew Garton
  • Lisa Gye

Bangladesh

  • AHM Bazlur Rahman

Brazil

  • Mike Jensen
  • Vera Vieira
  • Renata Aquino Ribeiro

Canada

  • Stephane Couture

Colombia

  • Mario Morales Rincón

Congo, Republic of

  • Patience Luyeye

Czech Republic

  • Jan Malík

Ethiopia

  • Melaku Girma

France

  • Emma Reade

Gambia

  • Poncelet Ileleji

Germany

  • Jeanette Hofmann

Guinea

  • Serge Ziehi

India

  • Japleen Pasricha

Italy

  • Leonardo Maccari

Jordan

  • Inam Ali

Malaysia

  • Gayathry Venkiteswaran

Netherlands

  • Rolf Kleef

Peru

  • Eiko Kawamura

Senegal

  • Makane Faye

South Africa

  • Towela Nyirenda-Jere

Switzerland

  • William Drake

Tunisia

  • Rafik Dammak

United States

  • Avri Doria

Governance

Board of directors

  • Julián Casasbuenas, Colombia (chair)
  • Valentina Pellizzer, Bosnia and Herzegovina (vice-chair)
  • Liz Probert, United Kingdom (secretary)
  • Osama Manzar, India (treasurer)
  • Chim Manavy, Cambodia (resigned March 2016)
  • John Dada, Nigeria
  • Lillian Nalwoga, Uganda
  • Anriette Esterhuysen, South Africa (executive director)

Council representatives

Staff team in 2016

  • Executive director: Anriette Esterhuysen, South Africa
  • Deputy executive director: Chat Garcia Ramilo, Philippines
  • Network and membership building coordinator: Karel Novotný, Czech Republic
  • Finance manager (until August)/Operations manager (as of September): Karen Banks, Australia/United Kingdom
  • Accountant (until August)/Finance manager (as of September): Maya Sooka, South Africa
  • Senior finance officer: Fatima Bhyat, South Africa
  • HR and finance officer: Misty Tanner, United States
  • Administrative officer: Eunice Mwesigwa, South Africa
  • Communications manager (until May)/Technical unit coordinator (as of June): Mallory Knodel, Canada
  • WRP communications associate (until May)/Communications manager (as of June): Flavia Fascendini, Argentina
  • CIPP communications associate: Leila Nachawati Rego, Spain
  • Publications coordinator: Lori Nordstrom, Uruguay
  • Technical and systems coordinator (until January): Sarah Escandor-Tomas, Philippines
  • Technical support assistant: Adolfo Dunayevich Garber, Mexico

 

  • WRP manager: Jac sm Kee, Malaysia
  • WRP senior project coordinator: Janine Moolman, South Africa
  • WRP project coordinator: Jennifer Radloff, South Africa
  • WRP project associate: Erika Smith, Mexico
  • GenderIT.org and research coordinator: Katerina Fialova, Czech Republic
  • GenderIT.org English editor and content production coordinator: Namita Aavriti, India (as of July)
  • PARM and GEM services coordinator: Dafne Plou, Argentina
  • Sexual Rights Project coordinator: Nadine Moawad, Lebanon (until September)
  • TBTT campaign coordinator: Sara Baker, United States (as of April)
  • CIPP manager: Valeria Betancourt, Ecuador
  • CIPP administrative assistant: Shawna Finnegan, Canada (until April)
  • CIPP volunteer: Avri Doria, United States*
  • CIPP assistant: Yolanda Mlonzi** (until June)
  • Africa policy coordinator: Emilar Vushe, South Africa (until September)
  • ESCR project coordinator: Alan Finlay, South Africa
  • GISWatch project coordinator: Roxana Bassi, Argentina
  • IMPACT project coordinator: Gayatri Khandhadai, India (as of February)
  • IMPACT project assistant: Pavitra Ramanujam, India (as of September)
  • Internet access specialist: Mike Jensen, Brazil
  • MENA internet rights project coordinator: Mohammed Tarakiyee, Jordan (until March)
  • Senior national internet rights advocacy project coordinator: Deborah Brown, United States

* Volunteers
** Interns

Finances

Financial supporters

Access Now

  • African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG)

AmplifyChange (agreement administered by Mannion Daniels Ltd)

  • Building EROTICS Networks in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka

European Union, European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)

  • Networking for freedom online and offline: Protecting freedom of information, expression and association on the internet in India, Malaysia and Pakistan

Ford Foundation

  • Support to research a feminist perspective on internet policy issues and build cross-movement collaboration with women’s rights groups in the global South

Global Fund for Women

  • Partnership grant (general support) for the APC Women’s Rights Programme’s AWID Forum activities (September 2016)

Global Partners and Associates

  • Sub-grant to organise and implement a workshop on “The Internet as a Driver of Free Expression in Africa”,  a side session to the 58th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in The Gambia
Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos)

  • Internet Governance in the Middle East and North Africa

International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

  • A rights-based approach to internet policy and governance for the advancement of economic, social and cultural rights
  • Mapping gender and the information society

Open Society Foundations

  • Digital media policy in Latin America
  • Surveying internet freedoms in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) via the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency

Sigrid Rausing Trust

  • Core support for APC Women’s Rights Programme 2015-2016

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)

  • Core support for the APC Strategic Action Plan 2016-2019

Womanity Foundation

  • Adapt Take Back the Tech! in Mexico: Challenge norms, build awareness, amplify collective power, strengthen response
Access Now

  • Research on net neutrality

Asia Safe Abortion Partnership/Enterprise to Empower (EN2EM)

  • Secure online communications training

Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW)

  • Translation, production and distribution of Spanish edition of ARROW for Change Vol. 22, No. 1, “Sexuality, SRHR, and the Internet”

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Namibia

  • Media workshop facilitation

Fundación Karisma

  • Content preparation and conducting two webinars on gender and sexuality awareness/sensitivity for Access Now helpline staff

Global Partners and Associates

  • Input on communications strategy for the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms
  • Input on development of video scripts for Global Partners Digital cybercapacity training curriculum
  • Developing a policy brief on the Universal Periodic Review, for use as an advocacy tool for internet rights activists

Google

  • Research and associated advocacy on broadband infrastructure sharing policies and ownership models in emerging markets

Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos)

  • Making All Voices Count (MAVC) Sinergantara Mentorship
Internews

  • USABLE project’s Tool Feedback Training workshop in Arabic

iRights.info e.V. (BMZ project number 2016.0162.4)

  • Internet Governance Forum (IGF) workshops in South Africa and Mexico to foster freedom of expression on the internet and inclusive and transparent national internet governance and policy processes

Media Foundation for West Africa

  • Research on trends in internet governance in the Southern African region

South African Communications Forum

  • African DNS study

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

  • Gender training for the UNESCAP ICT section (Bangkok, Thailand)

United Nations Fund for Gender Equality via Women’sNet’s “Increasing women’s decision making and influence in internet governance and ICT policy for the realisation of women’s rights in Africa” project

  • Gender and Internet Governance Exchange (gigX) at the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) 2016

World Wide Web Foundation

  • Affordability drivers survey for the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI)
Afilias plc

  • African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG)

AFRINIC Ltd

  • African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF)

Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC)

  • Contribution towards costs of APC Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2016 gathering

Facebook

  • African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG)

Google

  • African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) and Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (gigX)
  • African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF)
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

  • African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) and African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF)
  • Outreach at the African Internet Summit (AIS), Gabarone, Botswana

Internet Society (ISOC)

  • African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) and African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF)
  • Contribution to Disco-tech event and flyers for the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC)

  • Contribution towards costs of APC Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2016 gathering

Public Interest Registry

  • African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG)

APC financial statements for 2016

BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2016

2016(USD) 2015(USD)
ASSETS 1,291,397 1,195,637
Non-current assets 2 2
    Equipment 2 2
Current assets  1,291,395 1,195,635
    Accounts receivable  157,442 81,461
    Accrued income – grants 183,689 200,028
    Cash and cash equivalents  950,264 914,146
TOTAL ASSETS  1,291,397 1,195,637
RESERVES AND LIABILITIES 1,291,397 1,195,637
Reserves and sustainability funds 477,429 447,082
    Sustainability funds 447,496 446,848
    Retained income 29,933 234
Current liabilities 813,968 748,555
    Accounts payable 85,296 81,219
    Deferred income from grants 692,076 617,339
    Provision for leave pay 36,596 49,997
TOTAL RESERVES AND LIABILITIES 1,291,397 1,195,637

INCOME STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2015

2016(USD) 2015(USD)
INCOME 2,696,117 3,003,896
Grants 2,435,064 2,654,924
Earned Income 261,053 348,972
    Commissioned services, contributions and event income 235,862 313,729
    Interest 333 435
    Membership fees 24,858 24,356
    Sales and sundry 10452
EXPENDITURE 2,665,770 3,400,635
Governance, Programme Development, Monitoring and Evaluation and Administration 464,112 572,968
    Communications, Technical and Network Development Units 630,572 388,339
    Communications and Information Policy Programme 1,268,278 1,470,905
    Women’s Rights Programme 302,808 968,423
SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) FOR THE YEAR 30,347 -396,739

Note: Detailed information is available in the audited financial statements for 2016.