About the APG

Photo: Daniel Quesada-Rebolledo/Horizons of Friendship

WHO WE ARE

The Americas Policy Group (APG) is a national network of Canadian civil society organizations working for human rights and social and environmental justice in Latin America and the Caribbean. It brings together over twenty international development and humanitarian NGOs, human rights organizations, labour unions, faith-based and solidarity groups, and research institutions.

WHAT WE DO

The APG’s mandate is to engage in collective reflection and analysis, articulate coordinated policy positions, and advocate them with government authorities, parliamentarians, and other decision-making bodies in support of human rights and social and environmental justice across the Americas.

In fulfilling this mandate, the APG works to:

Monitor, share, and report member and partner experiences and analysis on human rights and social justice issues in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Enhance the capacity of members to undertake policy work concerning the region.
Participate collectively in relevant international networks.
Dialogue with government officials, policy makers, and advocate for policies to protect human rights and promote social and environmental justice in the Americas.

The APG and its member organizations have a history of active collaboration with civil society organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Many APG members participate in regular visits to the region, others have regional offices or field staff, and all have regular contact with local partner organizations, policy analysts, and human rights defenders in multiple countries.

WORKING GROUPS

The APG has two regional working groups: Mesoamerica and Colombia

Mesoamerica

The APG Mesoamerica Group brings together organizations working with partners in the region to address human rights, social, and environmental justice issues. It seeks to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Canadian government and influence policy development, particularly in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. In coordination with regional partners, the APG Mesoamerica Group engages members in campaigns for action to protect women, Indigenous and peasant groups, migrants, land and human rights defenders fighting for their rights to equality, justice, and peace.

Colombia

The organizations forming part of the APG’s Colombia working group maintain direct connections and have a long history of engagement with partners representing different sectors of Colombian civil society. These relationships inform the APG’s actions as it engages with the Canadian government and general public on issues of peace, social justice, and human rights. Through concerted actions, the group aims to influence Canada’s foreign policy, cooperation, trade and investment, and immigration agendas for the benefit of all Colombians, in particular rights defenders, Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, women leaders, members of the LGBTQI community, trade unionists, teachers, and students.

GOVERNANCE

The Steering Committee is composed of five elected members who are responsible for the implementation of the APG mandate. The Steering Committee consists of two co-chairs and meets regularly as needed. Members of the Steering Committee serve for a term of 2 years, minimum. Staff for the APG are ex-officio members of the committee. The APG meets as a whole at least once annually.

ACTIVITIES

The APG is committed to using a human rights-based approach to assess the impacts of Canadian foreign policy towards the Americas, including with regard to Indigenous peoples’ rights, democratic governance, peace and security, trade and investment, and corporate accountability. The main activities of the APG are:

Research, analysis, and documentation,
Information sharing and awareness raising,
Policy advocacy and mobilization, and
Learning Events.

MEMBERSHIP

Open to organizations, groups, and research institutions with a policy, program, and/or research interest in the Americas and whose policy positions align with those of the APG. To learn how to become a member, visit our JOIN page.

Learn more and join

Photo: Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network (BTS)

CURRENT MEMBERS

Amnesty International Canada

Breaking the Silence (BTS)

Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC)

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)

CoDevelopment Canada (CoDev)

Comité pour les droits humains en Amérique latine (CDHAL)

Development and Peace-Caritas Canada

Inter Pares

KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

Mennonite Central Committee Latin America and the Caribbean

Oxfam Canada

Oxfam Québec

Peace Brigades International – Canada

Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D)

Projet Accompagnement Québec-Guatemala (PAQG)

PSAC Social Justice Fund / Fonds de justice sociale de l’AFPC

MiningWatch Canada

Steelworkers Humanity Fund / Fonds humanitaire des Métallos

United Church of Canada

History of the APG

Photo: Anne Catherine Kennedy/Development and Peace

Canadian civil society organizations (CSOs) have a long history of working together to address issues of common concern. This has very much been the case as it relates to Latin America where Canadian CSOs have shared analysis about developments in the region, collectively examined Canada’s role and developed/advocated for progressive policies by our government aimed at promoting peace, human rights and social justice. From the very beginning, the approach has very much been rooted in solidarity with the peoples of Latin America.

The Americas Policy Group brings together Canadian CSOs with a rich history of engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean. While the APG was newly registered in 2020 as an independent organization, it represents a continuation of four decades of inter-institutional collaboration. The slides below highlight the various incarnations of what is today the Americas Policy Group, together with a timeline showing some of the context both in the region and in Canada that shaped our collective work.