Closer than ever
APC understands that we are all dealing with unprecedented circumstances as we face the challenges, fear and uncertainty brought on by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know it impacts our work, our personal lives and the lives of those we care about. Each country is tackling the situation differently, so the contexts we find ourselves in are as diverse as the ways we find to navigate shifting conditions.
In these exceptional times, we wish to send our solidarity and appreciation for connecting with us. While we are distancing ourselves physically, we continue to stay closer than ever to each other and share tools and resources as well as support. We also want to examine how we can continue to promote human rights online in the context of a global pandemic. We are all facing this problem together but we know it affects different countries and communities in different ways. Therefore, we would like to channel the strength of our network to share some important resources that we hope will be empowering, enlightening and reassuring.
Below you will find articles and insights shared by our community, which has been working on human rights and technology issues for over 30 years. We will be updating these lists on a regular basis, so please feel free to connect with us if you have some resources to share.
This joint submission to the 41st session of the UN Universal Period Review focuses on Brazil's fulfilment of human rights obligations in the digital context.
APC members in Africa respond to the discriminatory travel bans due to Omicron and how we must fight vaccine inequities, disinformation and colonial mindsets.
What do you need to consider when designing an online event? What are the core principles for safer and more accessible events? APC has collected its learnings from over 30 years of online work in this new guide, which covers everything from initial planning to going live to winding down.
The 2021-2022 edition of GISWatch asks how the COVID-19 pandemic changed or shaped the ways in which civil society organisations do their advocacy work around digital technology-related issues, including digital rights, and how digital rights advocacy priorities have shifted.
When discussions around access to the internet are raised, our thoughts turn to whether we have sufficiently solved the issues of poverty, health, education and energy to decide that internet access is a needed right in Africa. But COVID-19 has changed our view of the need for connectivity.
We want the collective power of communities within and beyond the APC network to be harnessed through existing and new relationships built around transformative actions and our shared visions. Check out our achievements in this area in 2020.
How are APC members improving their communities’ lives with the support of APC subgranting? With South Korea actively responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jinbonet has worked on analysing the country’s epidemic prevention policies and systems, and their effects on human rights and privacy.
How are APC members improving their communities’ lives with the support of APC subgranting? With the global health crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities, VOICE works on the ground to deliver critical communications and local support.
Internet connectivity is becoming part and parcel of humans’ lives all over the globe, but the story in underdeveloped countries is different and not encouraging. With persistent engagement and advocacy visits by CITAD, progress on setting up community networks in Nigeria has been made.
APC and Derechos Digitales welcome the opportunity to contribute to the open consultation on “The role of the Internet and international Internet-related public policy in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and possible future pandemics” organised by the ITU's CWG-Internet.

Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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