WACC’s Board of Directors has approved a new Strategic Plan for 2022-2026, intended as a foundation for its network worldwide “to take a leadership role that advances communication rights in a rapidly changing world.”  [See Spanish and French versions]

The plan focuses on new program priorities, building bridges, networks, and partnerships; enhancing communications, and strengthening organizational management systems and resources.  

“We are greatly looking forward to working alongside long-standing and new partners all over the world to advance the cause of communication for all,” said WACC General Secretary Philip Lee. “This is ever more important in a world of growing inequalities and uncertainties, where motives of power and profit tend to shoulder aside the needs of marginalised peoples and communities.” 

The plan responds to a global environment where access to affordable, effective, and genuine access to digital infrastructures remain out of reach for over 50% of the world’s population, where global corporations control the Internet, and where many are excluded by the dominance of English and other colonial languages. It is also informed by the growing “control and censorship of the Internet by authoritarian states seeking to restrict access to information and suppress views that differ from official ones is a growing phenomenon.” 

It also notes how “the global communications environment has been profoundly changed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” and stresses the need to draw lessons “from increased reliance on digital platforms and to study its implications for society at all levels.” 

In identifying its new program priorities, the plan underscores that all its activities, projectsand advocacy are focused on “promoting, implementing and supporting the communication rights of all, especially the poorest, most excluded and most vulnerable people and communities.” 

These are done through a range of actions: community capacity building, media monitoring for education and advocacy, comprehensive analysis of media trends from local to international perspectives, and advocacy through a diverse network of activists, educators, media professionals and policy makers.  

The plan identifies five focus areas for its programs: digital communication rights; migrants, refugees and communication rights; communication rights and indigenous rights; communication rights and climate change; gender and communication rights. 

Over the next five years, WACC intends to build and develop networks and partnerships as a rights-based organization, states the plan. “WACC continue to seek opportunities “to share its wealth of grassroots experience and expertise in the struggle for social progress.” WACC will also promote dialogue and exchange in a fair and balanced way, especially in regard to linguistic diversity and inclusion. 

In the area of communications, the plan seeks to increase the visibility and salience of communication rights and the work of the WACC network, and enhance the quality, transparency, interactive capability, and relational dimension of its internal communications. It also identifies other priorities: increasing the presence and visibility of WACC among global institutions working on rights-based and development issues and strengthening interregional contact and networking to support and promote WACC’s vision and mission.  

To ensure support for its programme goals, WACC will also continuously adapt its organizational and management systems “to make sure that they are flexible and responsive to the demands of a rapidly changing environment.” 

In the area of funding development, WACC will work on its goal of financial sustainability by expanding its donor base and diversifying its revenue sources. 

WACC will also work to strengthen relationships among, and collaboration between, members, partners, supporters, and staff in order to achieve WACC’s mission and programme priorities more effectively. 

WACC’s new Strategic Plan was developed through a consultative process in 2020 and 2021 that involved WACC members and partners, external advisors, consultation with regional executive committees and the WACC Secretariat and Board.