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Open Source at UNICEF

Open Source is not just relevant to UNICEF; it's a ubiquitous force that supports our mission and serves as an innovation imperative. Its widespread application across our projects and initiatives underscores its integral role, not just as a part of our strategy but as a critical component of innovation and progress. By embracing open source, we can ensures that our approach to solving global challenges is both universally adaptable and fundamentally forward-looking.

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), In its Resolution adopted on 22 July 2021 recognized the enormous potential for Open Source technologies to drive efforts towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By sharing source code freely under a license that permits copying, modification, and redistribution, Open Source can help to reduce current disparities in digital maturity through affordable and equitable access to technologies. By lowering barriers to entry, Open Source promotes collaboration within global communities, fostering technical learning and the development of place-based knowledge.

The OSPO has been identified as a key enabler for industry to leverage the benefits of Open Source, and has the potential to accelerate these processes within international organizations, national administrations, and civil society. By lowering barriers to entry, Open Source promotes collaboration within global communities, fostering technical learning and the development of place-based knowledge

Throughout UN agencies, Open Source is being embraced, here are a few testemonies

Open Source democratizes access to digital technologies, gives developing countries and startups everywhere the opportunity to adopt, adapt, and implement solutions tailored to their unique context."

Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill - UN Secretary-General Technology Envoy


Open Source and digital public goods should transcend organisational boundaries. By fostering this collaborative software development, we need to make sure that it benefits communities at large, that it drives us closer to solving humanity's most urgent challenges, and it supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations and Open Source culture share common values of openness, transparency, equality. let me stress that building and designing collaborative digital infrastructures is both an opportunity and an obligation that we have to make sure that the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals is a reality. Let's unite and harness the power of Open Source software and Open Source Offices.

Mr. Bernardo Mariano Junior - Assistant Secretary-General Office of Information and Communications Technology at United Nations


Our belief is that when we work on something around education or the use of Open Source for health or water or climate, those are shared problems for humanity. And so we have to start with Open Source because yes, each country has a specific context which each community has a particular issue, but most of the problem of humanity are actually shared. And so if we can share also the capabilities, then that gets us further and that gets us also the ability for people all around the globe to participate in making those solutions as good as they can get.

Thomas Davin - Director, UNICEF Office of Innovation


I see Open Source as more than an approach for software development when applied more widely in society such as the science, education and even governments. We can create a more inclusive and equitable society while being able to improve on our ability to innovate.”

Mithusa Kajendran - UN Office of ICT

.. and many more.

As echoed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on World Telecommunication and Information Society day:

We must support the creation of digital public goods: open-source software, open data, and open content

,the United Nations System organizations stand to benefit immensely from the potential of harnessing open source technologies in realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ensure that the global benefits of increased internet connectivity can be fully and equitably realized by all. On recognition of the above immense potential, a Community of Practice on Open Source Software was formed by the CEB-Digital Technology Network with an inaugural kick-off session held on 28th September 2023. The CoP, chaired jointly by UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (UN OICT) and UN Population fund (UNFPA), proceeded as its preliminary task to diagnose the state of open source adoption across all the UN System organizations. UNICEF, is participating in the CoP and is leading the Open Source wave. Office of Innovation has a strong background of open innovation. It's a known field to many at Ventures team. From funding companies to develop scalable, frontier solution in priorities area, to supporting internal toolings becoming Open Source, to become Digital Public Goods.

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