Throughout 2024, the APC network has shown that we are resilient, resourceful and uncompromisingly dedicated to advocating for human rights across their full, diverse and complex spectrum. Marking the start of APC’s strategic plan that will guide us from 2024 to 2027, we entered the year acknowledging that our focus needs to be sharp and our resolve stronger than ever. And we have seen our network rise to the challenge creatively and courageously, implementing inspiring projects that have improved lives and stirred ripples of empowerment across communities.
Worldwide, people are facing unprecedented challenges, from repression of human rights and shrinking civic spaces, to unfettered and unsustainable consumption of digital and environmental resources. The projects undertaken by our network through APC subgrants, including travel and programme funds, have shown how “in the current context, which can be described as one of global distress and uncertainty, we have committed to strengthening collective organising with the aim of building a powerful movement to ensure that the internet and digital technologies enable social, gender and environmental justice for all people.”
We see how these projects have been built around powerful goals and grounded in activities that create measurable impact. We further acknowledge our network’s commitment to that which is not easily quantifiable but infinitely precious: hope, extending to the margins of societies, bridging communities and strengthening our collective efforts.
What better moment to celebrate our network’s achievements and nurture the seeds of change we have planted in 2024 as we sit on the cusp of a new year and gather inspiration for our collective activism!
Building common agendas
In 2024, we have strengthened our connections and sought ways to build common agendas across issues, movements and geographies. Our collective knowledge has enabled us to probe emerging issues like artificial intelligence, explore pathways for climate justice and embed intersectional approaches into our work. APC members and partners in Uganda, India, Brazil and Argentina have sought innovative ways to promote digital inclusion, integrating rights-respecting, feminist and environmentally just approaches to transforming policies and practices.
Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies and their impact on civic space in Africa
This piece by the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) provides an overview of their participation in the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum in Accra, Ghana, which they attended with the support of a grant from the APC Member Engagement and Travel Fund. Read more.
Co-creating a learning journey around power, equity and justice
The intersection of bodies, technologies and social justice is fertile ground for planting the seeds of feminist pedagogy, as India-based APC member Point of View discovered when they developed “The Digital Everyday". Read more.
Revisiting Birosca and the transfeminist collective’s legacy of code, community and care
Birosca, a sparkling feminist movement in Brazil that ran from 2005 to 2012, eventually had its own virtual server called Baderna, named after Marieta Baderna, the dancer from Rio. Baderna also means "disturbance" in Portuguese, an allusion to how activists are often perceived. Read more.
How to improve reuse and recycling processes, from the experience of Nodo TAU in Argentina
How can we address the problem of e-waste with strategic proposals that help reduce the digital divide and ensure social inclusion? This is one of the areas of focus for Nodo TAU, which has been working for digital inclusion since its foundation in 1995 and whose latest project aims to improve reuse and recycling processes of computer equipment. Read more [en español].
Fostering digital inclusion
This past year has shown our network’s willingness to explore new approaches to collective organising by connecting people with communities and broader social movements. Local access solutions have highlighted the positive impact of meaningful connectivity on people’s lives. Partners in Indonesia and Brazil have promoted digital inclusion by supporting communities facing oppression in the form of digital harms and by deepening their advocacy work.
Embark on an audiovisual journey to discover the Ciptagelar Community Network
Discover the experience of the Ciptagelar Community Network in Indonesia through inspiring videos that feature the voices of local residents. Read more.
Community network tackles the digital divide and boosts the creation of local content
Learn about the Portal Sem Porteiras community network, an initiative by residents of a rural neighbourhood who are promoting community-centred connectivity, local content creation and technological innovation in Brazil. Read more.
Supporting holistic safety and digital resilience
As increasingly repressive laws and policies target marginalised populations, our network has stayed strong in its commitment to building knowledge, skills and solidarity across vulnerable communities. We have sought spaces to safely and joyfully celebrate our diversity and freely express ourselves. Through capacity-building initiatives, APC members in Paraguay, Uganda and Bangladesh have worked to empower communities through deepened understanding of the tools and resources at their disposal.
Celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community while defending rights and promoting digital security
The LGBTQIA+ community in Paraguay continues to take action through community-driven initiatives. One event that particularly stood out took place in the country's capital, Asunción, during Pride Month, to celebrate the community while emphasising the importance of digital security in today's connected world. Read more.
"Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act means having to suppress who we are just to keep safe"
Technology has the power to enrich our lives and stretch the borders of our analogue world, but it also brings risks, especially in repressive contexts. This project explores how technology can be harnessed to protect and empower local LGBTI communities under restrictive laws. Read more.
Collaborations are key to enabling digital safety for African women
Pollicy's project, supported by an APC subgrant, aims to build a critical mass of African women who are well-versed in digital safety, resilience and shaping a feminist internet. Read more.
"Online safety is key for the work of journalists, women and human rights defenders in Bangladesh"
In Bangladesh, where APC member organisation Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment operates, protecting journalists, women and human rights defenders has become a priority. Read more.
To browse stories of how APC members have been achieving meaningful impact, visit the Seeding Change column.
How have you been inspired to plant seeds of change in your community? Share your story with us at communications@apc.org