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APC is an international network of civil society organisations founded in 1990 dedicated to empowering and supporting people working for peace, human rights, development and protection of the environment, through the strategic use of information and communications technologies (ICTs). We work to build a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of ICTs to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies.
APC's strength lies in the fact that we don't get excited about the internet for the internet's sake. We are committed activists who want to use it to make the world a better place.
We help people get access to the internet where there is none or it is unaffordable, we help grassroots groups use the technology to develop their communities and further their rights, and we work to make sure that government policies related to information and communication serve the best interests of the general population, especially people living in the global South.
Who we are, in a nutshell
The APC vision
Our vision is for people to use and shape the internet and digital technologies to create a just and sustainable world, leading to greater care for ourselves, each other and the earth.
The APC mission
Our mission is to create a just and sustainable world by harnessing the collective power of activists, organisations, excluded groups, communities and social movements, to challenge existing power structures and ensure that the internet is developed and governed as a global public good.
APC's vision and mission until 2019
A network and an organisation
APC is both a network and an organisation. APC members are groups and individuals working in their own countries to advance the same mission as APC.
The membership define APC's strategic priorities every four years. APC has a small staff, each living in different countries and communicating day-to-day over the internet (we have no central headquarters). APC's value and uniqueness come from the local perspectives and contact with grassroots organisations that we gain from our members and the fact that we operate as a truly virtual, international organisation.
Read our strategic priorities for 2020-2023
Our values
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Local initiative and ownership
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Freedom of expression, communication and information
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Open content and open standards
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Free and open source software
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Social and gender equality
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Collaboration and partnership
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Inclusiveness and diversity
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Creativity and capacity building
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Democratic, accountable and transparent governance
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Appropriate and affordable ICT solutions.
Read more about our values
How we work
APC is committed to working through:
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Decentralised action
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Sharing information and tools in the public domain
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Having a strong base and orientation toward the global South
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Creating and strengthening an international membership community for joint action and learning.
We organise our work in two programme areas:
APC values working with other people beyond our own network. We are aware of our own limitations as well as the power of networking. Where we lack knowledge or expertise and need to learn in order to better engage challenges, we form partnerships. In all of APC's work we encourage people to network as a means of making other activities more sustainable. If people share their experiences and skills they have greater value over a longer period and often create a ripple effect.
How we meet
As often as possible, we organise face-to-face member meetings and also public events dedicated to issues on which we work. To assure that these meetings are productive and pleasant for everyone, we have developed a Code of conduct and ground rules for APC meetings.
Consultative status to the United Nations
We are an active participant in high level international ICT policy discussions, and were granted category one consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1995.
Legal status
We were founded in 1990, and operated legally as a partner of the Tides Foundation until 1998, when we were incorporated as a nonprofit under Section 501 (c) (3), public charity status 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi) State of California, USA. APC is governed according to the nonprofit regulations of the State of California, even though we are an international network.
APC’s principle office is located in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The big picture, year after year
If you want to gain a quick overview of APC for a given year visit the specific section of our website where you will find our annual reports.
