OSPO's for Good - Building and Designing Cooperative Digital Infrastructure

Background

Open Source Software Offices (OSPOs)

Whether we realize it or not, we rely on Open Source software every day. Open Source software powers the internet and cloud technologies. It is in supercomputers, blockchain, the Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence. As such, the Open Source ethos aligns with the ideals of the United Nations as it rests on openness, transparency, equality and collaboration. 

In its Resolution1 adopted on 22 July 2021, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) 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 Resolution invited the Secretary-General to “develop specific proposals on ways to better leverage Open Source technologies for sustainable development based on inputs from interested Member States and other stakeholders.” The OSPOs for Good event and this reportshould be seen as a step towards developing such proposals by considering how an industry proven method can be leveraged for economic empowerment and sustainable growth, particularly in underserved communities and low-income countries. 

Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs) are designated bodies of an organization where Open Source strategies, policies and guidance are supported, shared, explained and grown inside an organization, and which acts as an organizational API for cooperation. 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. Insofar as OSPOs are good for fostering an Open Source community, they are ineffective if siloed solely within their respective organizations. 

Their presence, though beneficial to the organization, still houses significant untapped potential as Open Source is inherently collaborative and global. OSPOs that don’t work together for a greater impact run counter to the ethos of Open Source. Thus, existing OSPOs must work together and build cross-border digital cooperation between organizations enabling unified progress toward a more inclusive, interconnected, and sustainable future.