APC

This special edition GISWatch, produced with IT for Change and WACC, considers the importance of WSIS as an inclusive policy and governance mechanism, and what, from a civil society perspective, needs to change for it to meet the challenges of today and meaningfully shape our digital future.

Our Women's Rights Programme's policy advocacy coordinator presents highlights of APC's multi-faceted participation and advocacy at the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) event this year, centred on promoting and sharing our work on human rights, specifically the rights of women and people of diverse genders and sexualities.

The following two reports from GISWatch 2024 Special Edition explore pathways for addressing the digital divide as well as the impacts of digitalisation when marginalised populations are overlooked in decision-making processes.

Twenty years ago, stakeholders gathered in Geneva at the first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Since the framework for cooperation was set out in the Geneva Plan of Action (2003), much has changed in the global digital context, while many recognised challenges still remain.

This issue brings together instances that show the success of community networks, but also some indicating that currently there is a gap, and help from a range of stakeholders is needed in order to successfully support communities to bridge the digital divide.

The following two reports, which are included in the GISWatch 2024 Special Edition, are thoughtful analyses on the vision and agenda set up at the WSIS summit twenty years ago, and reflections on its value and need in civil society advocacy as we move forward.

APC member Open Net in South Korea recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. We interviewed them on this landmark occasion and how the organisation is reflecting on its decade of achievements to forge new paths ahead. 

In honour of Earth Day 2024, we are launching the first report from the GISWatch 2024 Special Edition: "Free, prior and informed consent: Accountability, environmental justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples in the information society".

The undersigned organisations express our concern and firm rejection of the multiple irregularities, illegalities and violations of due process observed in the case of Ola Bini, a programmer and human rights defender recently sentenced to a year in prison in Ecuador.

The digitisation of Zimbabwe’s judiciary marks a significant stride forward in the nation’s digital transformation. However, there’s an immediate need for cross-sector collaboration to ensure that this advancement doesn’t restrict access to justice.

Stakeholders far from UN grounds benefit when states clarify their position on new and emerging technologies and how international law, including international human rights law, and sustainable development commitments apply to fields like artificial intelligence.

Community networks in Africa stand as beacons of innovation and resilience. Through a series of four webinars, Tanda Community Network along with APC and and Rhizomatica's LocNet initiative helped with capacity building and explored such networks' challenges, triumphs and how to support them in bridging the digital divide.

At the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), APC co-organised an event for advocacy around women’s rights in the digital sphere and the impact of the UN's Global Digital Compact (GDC) on the lives of women.

These subgrants are designed to support the development and implementation of holistic safety strategies, including research, advocacy and capacity building, through initiatives that explore the intersections between technology and land and environmental issues.

APC and Noor co-organised a discussion with six Palestinian feminist activists, researchers, academics and content creators to discuss how Israel weaponises gendered disinformation and atrocities propaganda to continue its genocide in Palestine.

We are excited to announce the third iteration of the Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN). Partnering with 10 new researchers from the global South, the network will engage with 18-month research projects that focus on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).

Meet the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a New Delhi-based organisation committed to democratising the potential of technology and individual liberty, and one of the recent additions to the APC member network.

Community-centred connectivity alternatives are offering reliable services at affordable costs in areas left behind by large telecommunications companies. But their journey shows why rethinking financing for connectivity is an important step towards bridging the digital divides.

This statement was delivered by Karla Velasco Ramos, the APC Women’s Rights Programme policy advocacy coordinator, at the interactive dialogue on artificial intelligence to advance gender equality” during the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68).

Meet Sursiendo, an independent organisation based in Chiapas, Mexico, committed to activism, communications, design, free/libre software, popular education, art and culture, and an APC member since February 2024.