By Flavia Fascendini Publisher: APCNoticias Pergamino,
Published onPage last updated on
During the APC Latin America and the Caribbean members meeting held in Mexico City, APCNews interviewed Julián Casasbuenas, director of Colombian APC member Colnodo and current chair of the APC Board. He shared his thoughts about APC’s 25-year history.
APCNews: What do you think APC’s main achievements have been, as a network, over the past 25 years?
Julián Casasbuenas: APC has played a very important role for its members, because it has allowed us to exchange experiences among ourselves, and has also allowed us to address emerging issues in the use of information and communication technologies. APC has prepared us well in the use of technology, in order to take advantage of it to create a greater impact in all our work, and has helped us defend our project spaces. I am referring to issues such as internet rights: I believe the APC Internet Rights Charter has played a very important role in enabling us to take out into the community at large important messages about securing access to information systems and to freedom of expression. As I said, these are issues of the utmost importance for our work.
What began as the Women’s Networking Support Programme, now the Women’s Rights Programme, has been essential for driving projects to prevent online violence against women. I could mention many other examples, including technical aspects: I like to highlight the use of free software, because agencies like Colnodo in Colombia have been able to survive, develop and offer services to the groups we collaborate with, thanks to free software and Creative Commons licensing, which are new ways of exchanging knowledge at the global level. APC has had a fundamental role in the use and promotion of these tools, which have really strengthened our work. I think APC has had a great effect on all its member organisations, and it has also facilitated exchanges between the members that have enabled us to work and create projects that have global impact, which otherwise would have been very difficult to achieve.
APCNews: Do you have any message for the member organisations that make up APC, and for potential new members?
JC: The message is to keep on contributing through APC and its strategic programmes; participate more actively; stay involved constantly in all the issues and projects we are concerned with, in order to generate a greater impact from all APC’s work. And, well, it’s been 25 years, practically the whole of the history of internet, APC has been there from the beginning. And I believe that past members and new members have many stories to share about how we have helped improve living conditions for many people around the world, through technology. So I would encourage them to keep working on these issues, and also to celebrate all our achievements, and keep working for a better world.
