Julián Casasbuenas G. Thinking back to 1996, when my organisation Colnodo joined the APC network, APC’s main goal was to set up nodes (one per country) to serve organisations working for development. Back then, connectivity was the main issue: how to connect these organisations so they could benefit from electronic communications. This task involved convincing each organisation, one by one, to join the network and to exchange information through the use of email, instead of fax, and to use the APC newsgroups and Usenet groups to exchange information globally. During all these years, APC members have been evolving and adapting, moving from providing connectivity to offering more services like information systems, protecting websites, ensuring secure communications, and working on projects that make an impact in different areas of APC work. Access was one of the activities where we put most of our effort, and it still is. Even though billions of people are now connected to the internet, there are still many people who are under-connected or living in remote areas where access remains a challenge. APC continues working for access, conducting research and producing documents aimed at finding ways to end digital exclusion and close the access divide, focusing not only on how to connect people, but also how to move the billions who are “barely connected” into a fully pervasive and affordable connectivity environment. In many circumstances, women have been discriminated against and excluded, and for this reason, since its founding, APC has worked for women’s equal opportunities through technology. We carry out many activities to reach this goal. For instance, we have participated in international conferences such as RightsCon to raise awareness of the importance of access to ensure that women in particular are able to benefit from the opportunities and empowerment offered by connectivity. We have also participated in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), coordinating the Best Practice Forum on Gender and Access focused on enabling internet access for women, as well as participating in different spaces at the IGF promoting community networks to enable communities to connect themselves. Throughout all these years, APC has worked tirelessly on human rights focusing on internet rights; on raising awareness about new issues we think should be taken into account, such as the way that the internet can impact on economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs); on continuing to oppose the unacceptable practice of internet shutdowns; on ensuring respect for the right to privacy; on ending violence against women in digital spaces; and on bridging the gender digital divide. Likewise, we have worked on monitoring human rights in various regions through research and the development of new tools for monitoring internet rights, producing new training materials on the issue such as the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. The 2016 Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) report, which reached its milestone 10th edition, focused on ESCRs and the internet and was launched during a main session on internet rights at the IGF that specifically addressed ESCRs. APC has been a pioneer working endlessly for the elimination of violence against women in digital spaces. In 2016, the Take Back the Tech! campaign to fight gender-based violence celebrated its 10th anniversary with the campaign theme “Our collective story: Women who shaped technology”. Take Back the Tech! reached at least 25 countries through online and offline actions in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November-10 December). The work of the APC Women’s Rights Programme has also evolved towards building a feminist internet. During 2016, these efforts included multiple meetings around the world to talk about women’s rights, gender and technology in countries like Brazil, Uruguay, South Africa, India, Lebanon, Kenya and Bosnia and Herzegovina, among others. Our constant effort is also reflected in our participation, 10 years ago, in the first IGF, where we continue organising and co-organising workshops and sessions, hosting pre-events, attending side meetings with partners and donors, and speaking in main sessions to bring APC’s perspectives, in addition to contributing to numerous regional and national IGF initiatives. This year APC published the results of an in-depth study on the NETmundial process, addressing what worked well and what did not, specifically in terms of processes and methodology, and what lessons can be extracted and applied to other global internet governance processes, particularly the IGF. To carry on all these years, evolving and adapting to the changing internet environment, has not been easy. Therefore, the support of multiple organisations throughout these changes has been crucial. In 2016, for the first time ever, APC implemented a subgranting programme for its members thanks to the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The projects funded with these grants are facilitating the strengthening of APC members through the implementation of these initiatives. We want to thank our donor Sida for making this possible. In 1996 our network had only 26 members. Our work and efforts have captivated many others to work using ICTs for social justice. Thus our network continued growing during 2016 with five new organisational members and five new individual members. We want to give a warm welcome to our new member organisations: AlterMundi, Argentina; Rhizomatica, Mexico; Point of View, India; Social Media Exchange (SMEX), Lebanon; and Zenzeleni Networks, South Africa. Our new individual members are Renata Aquino, Brazil; Andrew Garton, Australia; Lisa Gye, Australia; Japleen Pasricha, India; and Gayathry Venkiteswaran, Malaysia. All these past achievements have been possible thanks to the vision and leadership of individuals such as our Executive Director Anriette Esterhuysen. In December 2016, Anriette informed the Board of Directors that she would like to step down from the position of executive director after 16 and a half years serving in this position. I want to take this opportunity to express, also on behalf of the Board of Directors, our appreciation to Anriette for her dedication in these years of working as executive director and for leading APC to become a widely recognised, vibrant and diverse global network. The resulting advancement of our organisation is reflected in the trust deposited by our donors; in the accomplishment of our strategic objectives; in the permanent growth of organisational and individual members; in the strengthening of our membership; and in the impact of the projects and programmes of both APC and its members. I also want to extend a warm welcome to Chat Garcia Ramilo, who has been part of APC for many years and who will become our executive director in 2017. There are many challenges lying ahead, but she can rely upon a highly committed team and a growing membership network, which I am sure will support her on our multiple work fronts. This report is living proof of all this magnificent work! Julián Casasbuenas G. Chair of the APC Board of Directors