The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is a membership-based network of organisations and activists, founded in 1990, to empower individuals, organisations and social movements to use information and communications technologies (ICTs) to build strategic communities to contribute to equitable human development, social justice, participatory political processes and environmental sustainability.
APC members and associates work in their own countries to advance the same mission as APC. The membership define APC's strategic priorities every four years. APC has a staff team, 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.
We are
Read our strategic priorities for 2020-2023
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
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.
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:
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
APC was founded in 1990, operating as a partner of the Tides Foundation until 1998. On 5 May 1998, APC incorporated as a California non-profit, public benefit corporation (number 2082086) and is a tax–exempt charity (number CT0248541) under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. APC operates as an international network, with a principle office in 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.