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The global development landscape is facing a dual crisis. On one hand, we are witnessing a rise in Urgent Global Challenges (UGCs)—events that exceed routine disaster response capacities, frequently cross borders, and require coordinated international action. On the other hand, the resources available to meet these challenges had been shrinking, with global aid budgets having declined by up to 17% in 2025.This raises a central strategic question: How can institutions ensure that digital systems can be mobilised rapidly and effectively when the next major shock occurs?The DPGA Strategy 2023–2028 identifies a clear objective: by 2028, digital public goods (DPGs) should form a default component of the international community’s approach to preventing and responding to UGCs. Target 4 outlines the development of a global methodology for rapidly establishing communities of practice, as well as financing mechanisms to support relevant DPGs.At the DPGA Annual Members Meeting (AMM25) in Brasília, policymakers, practitioners, and technologists met to translate this objective into a concrete trajectory for 2026.Defining the Scope: Readiness for ResponseWhile mitigation and long-term recovery remain essential, discussions at the AMM25 underscored that the distinctive contribution of DPGs lies in rapid operational activation. UGCs are characterised by urgent timelines, uncertainty, and the need for coordinated digital action across institutions and borders. For this reason, the emerging focus is on scalable process models—structured methodologies that enable governments and partners to deploy and adapt digital tools quickly and systematically.It also became clear that rapid response is a cross-cutting theme that interacts with broader digital and governance ecosystems. Crises often generate significant pressures in areas such as:Information pollution, where inaccurate or misleading information disrupts coordination and decision-making;Digital public infrastructure (DPI), where foundational systems such as identity, payments, and registries must remain functional under degraded conditions or elevated demand;Climate-related events, which increasingly require real-time data, interoperable systems, and rapid mobilisation of sector-specific tools.These intersections demonstrate that readiness for response is not a discrete domain but an integral component of multiple DPGA workstreams.Participants also identified key vulnerabilities that frequently arise in crisis contexts, helping to clarify where process models must provide operational guidance:Delays or barriers in data sharing, often linked to unclear legal frameworks or governance arrangements;Connectivity disruptions, reinforcing the need for offline capability and low-bandwidth optimisation;Insufficient local implementation capacity, leading to reliance on external actors during periods when local expertise is most needed;Fragmentation among digital systems, where tools exist but lack validated workflows, integration pathways, or predefined institutional responsibilities.Given the evolving nature of UGCs and the variation in country contexts, this scope will remain an ongoing discussion within the DPGA community.Evidence on DPG Value: Rapid Adaptation and ResilienceAt the AMM25, experts presented concrete examples demonstrating how DPGs have supported rapid response in practice. Two attributes were repeatedly highlighted: Rapid adaptation and resilience.1. Rapid Adaptation and Repurposing During COVID-19, the ability of open-source platforms to be reconfigured on short timelines proved critical. Pamod Amarakoon (Director HISP Sri Lanka) described how DHIS2 was adapted to support a port-of-entry tracking system within days. This reflects broader research showing that open and modular systems enable unplanned yet essential adaptations during emergencies.2. Resilience: Stable and Scalable Infrastructure Emily Bennett, Head of Digital Public Solutions at UNICC, highlighted the importance of robust and secure digital infrastructure to maintain continuity of operations under crisis conditions. Building on this, she also noted that tools deployed in emergency contexts can continue to deliver value well beyond the crisis itself. She pointed to UNICC’s experience deploying iReport in eight countries, initially designed for short-term use around critical events, but later institutionalised by several governments once its broader usefulness became clear. This experience highlights the importance of considering post-emergency sustainability and long-term operational use when deploying DPGs for crisis response. Likewise, Zhongxin Chen, Senior IT Officer, D4I Lead at FAO) demonstrated how the organisation’s digital infrastructure for agrifood systems - FAO Agro-informatics Platform (FAIP) supports emergency agricultural and food security operations, pointing to the sectoral breadth of DPG relevance.Insights from Brasília: The "Status Quo" MapFollowing the expert panel, workshop participants engaged in a co-design exercise. The resulting "status quo" maps highlighted several persistent challenges:Technology: Offline capability remains essential for disaster resilience, and participants underscored the importance of low-code/no-code approaches to support rapid local adaptation.Governance: In many countries,legal frameworks to support interoperability and cross-border data sharing are still absent. Internal governance structures for emergency data use are also frequently underdeveloped.Support and Capacity: Discussions highlighted limited availability of local implementer networks and a continued reliance on external consultants, both of which hinder rapid deployment and long-term sustainability.The Way Ahead: Ideas for Strengthening ReadinessDuring the discussions, participants put forward several possible ideas for how readiness could be strengthened, without treating any of them as settled solutions. One idea was to create a shared, pre-crisis environment where different digital public goods could be set up quickly, tested together, and run through realistic emergency scenarios to surface gaps and improve how systems work together before a real shock occurs. Another idea focused on people rather than systems, suggesting more structured ways to build local technical capacity so that technologists on the ground are better prepared to deploy, adapt, and maintain digital tools under crisis conditions. A third idea addressed institutional bottlenecks, pointing to the value of having practical legal and procedural resources prepared in advance—such as guidance on procurement, data sharing, and decision-making—to reduce delays when governments and partners need to act quickly. These ideas were discussed as part of a broader set of options, with the understanding that further exploration and refinement will be needed as the work continues. Strengthening readiness for response will require continued collaboration, evidence, and alignment across sectors and regions. The ideas emerging from Brasília offer a concrete foundation, but their impact will depend on the engagement of a broader community of partners. We invite stakeholders to help shape and advance this work as the DPGA refines its 2026 agenda. For questions or to get involved, please contact Max Kintisch, Director of Research & Urgent Global Challenges of the DPGA Secretariat, at max@digitalpublicgoods.net.

Last week, the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) concluded its fourth Annual Members Meeting (AMM)— its first ever in South America—with three energising days of collaboration, shared learning, and collective momentum. Taking place in Brasília and held in partnership with the Government of Brazil, represented by the Controladoria-Geral da União (CGU), the Ministério da Gestão e da Inovação em Serviços Públicos, and DATAPREV, this year’s AMM served as a capstone to 2025’s steady global progress and growing interest in digital public goods.Over the course of this year’s Annual Members Meeting, more than a hundred representatives from DPGA member organisations - including country governments, in addition to digital public good (DPG) product owners, explored how DPGs can help countries and development partners, including multilateral development banks and UN-agencies, navigate geopolitical and technological shifts while delivering real benefits for people’s lives and for the planet. It also served as an opportunity to welcome Co-Develop, co-coordinator of the 50-in-5 campaign, as the newest member of the DPGA.This year’s AMM reflected how far the DPGA has come, and the role it is increasingly poised to play amid rapid advances in technology and significant geopolitical change.The gathering opened with reflections on key achievements from the past year, including:Growth and maturity across the DPG ecosystem, seen through continued expansion of the DPG Registry—now with well over 200 verified digital public goods—and increased collaboration among DPGs themselves, demonstrating how open, interoperable digital solutions can drive scale and impact.Strengthened global alignment, with DPGs front and centre at major convenings including COP30, UN Open Source Week, the Internet Governance Forum in Norway, and the annual 50-in-5 Milestone Event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Continued advances in understanding how DPGs can be used for DPI implementation, including the launch of the DPG4DPI Collection, which is already helping countries more easily identify DPGs that enable safe, inclusive, and interoperable DPI.Significant progress on climate, marked by a new framework to identify DPGs for climate action and Brazil’s announcement of a newly shared open-source module derived from its Rural Environmental Registry (RER).Strengthening efforts to sustain DPGs, with growing alignment on the need for upstream maintenance, flexible financing, and stronger contribution pathways to ensure that governments and partners can adopt, adapt, and maintain DPGs over time.Together, these achievements created a strong foundation for workshops and roundtable discussions that unfolded in Brasília.“We believe that open technologies and global digital governance contribute to better governments, but also to stronger democracies and enhanced sovereignty. These joint activities and collective sharing really embody that spirit. Let us all work together in that direction to promote inclusive and sustainable development, powered by open technology strategies.” - Cristina Kiomi Mori - Vice Minister of Management and Innovation in Public Services, Government of Brazil

The Digital Public Goods Alliance is pleased to welcome Co-Develop as its newest member, marking a step forward in advancing safe, inclusive, and interoperable digital public infrastructure (DPI) globally. Announced during the DPGA Annual Members Meeting in Brasília, Brazil, Co-Develop’s membership strengthens the global movement to scale digital public goods as critical foundations for equitable digital transformation.As part of the DPGA’s 2025 Roadmap, Co-Develop will focus on four key work streams:Accelerating DPG adoption at country level with targeted support for a variety of solutions including MOSIP, Mojaloop, Mifos, OpenCRVS, OpenFn, OpenSPP, and DIGIT.Championing the DPI Safeguards Framework by supporting the development and implementation of comprehensive policy safeguards that address governance, design, deployment, and use of DPI.Co-leading the 50-in-5 campaign alongside the Digital Public Goods Alliance by engaging countries, organising peer learning exchanges, and providing support to 50 countries seeking to deploy safe, inclusive, and interoperable DPI by 2028.Expanding domain-specific DPG solutions by identifying and supporting DPGs relevant to DPI that address sector-specific challenges in agriculture, climate, and health."Digital public goods play a critical role for countries seeking a robust and rapid approach to deploying digital public infrastructure", said Tim Wood, Chief Partnerships Officer at Co-Develop. "By joining the DPGA, we are emphasizing Co-Develop’s commitment to help counties identify pathways to leapfrog traditional development trajectories using proven, open-source technologies."“Co-Develop’s membership to the DPGA will significantly strengthen the use and understanding of digital public goods for digital public infrastructure. Their co-coordination of the 50-in-5 campaign, deep country engagement, and commitment to safe, inclusive, and interoperable digital public infrastructure directly advances our shared mission to empower governments with DPGs they can trust and adapt to meet their contextual needs.” Liv Marte Nordhaug, CEO, DPGA Secretariat.To learn more about Co-Develop joining the DPGA, visit their blog.To learn more about the activities they will be undertaking as part of their DPGA membership, visit the Roadmap.

Digital public goods (DPGs) are open-source technologies that countries can freely adopt to accelerate digital transformation, improve residents’ lives, and drive economic growth. For governments and large organisations, DPGs hold the promise of increasing efficiency and technology transparency while preserving their digital sovereignty, and avoiding costly lock-ins.However, in order to better facilitate the potential of DPGs to deliver on these benefits, governments and organisations should prioritise implementing policies, principles and frameworks. Doing so could allow them to more effectively implement DPGs that address country needs which may include evolving their digital public infrastructure.For this reason, the DPGA Secretariat included dedicated emphasis on this as part of the Calls for Collaborative Action that were launched in November 2024.

Last year, the DPGA Secretariat launched its first-ever set of Calls for Collaborative Actions as a way to galvanise members, DPG product owners, and other stakeholders around priority actions needed for advancing collective impact. Reflecting the priority that countries worldwide are giving to building and evolving their digital public infrastructure, which can also be seen in the 50-in-5 Campaign co-coordinated by the DPGA Secretariat alongside Co-Develop, one of the four calls is for “250 million USD in financing so that DPGs that enable the implementation of safe, inclusive and interoperable digital public infrastructure can be supported until 2030”.2025 Key Activities and Stakeholder OutputsAn initial step taken by the DPGA Secretariat was the creation of the DPG4DPI Collection, in order to point to the most DPI-relevant solutions available on the DPG Registry. Criteria for determining which DPGs should go into the collection have been developed with inputs from Co-Develop and the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI), and the DPG4DPI Collection will be expanded when additional relevant DPGs are identified. We have also convened multiple discussions with relevant funders, including the EkStep Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), and the Steele Foundation for Hope. In addition to encouraging new financing, another objective of these conversations has been to understand the motivations of different funders that are interested in supporting DPGs4DPI, and also how they see their financing as part of broader sustainability and contribution models. We are aware that several of the funders we have convened have made, or are planning to make, new financial commitments for DPGs4DPI in 2025, and we will provide updated numbers once they are public. We have also engaged additional stakeholders interested in contributing to the call in different ways, such as the sharing of learnings and best practices and case studies. These contributions were from UN agencies such as UNICEF, product owners like OpenCRVS, and civil society organisations including the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN). A key suggestion made by OKFN was to engage multilateral development banks more in evolving DPG sustainability models, given their important role as both grant providers and lenders to countries implementing their digital public infrastructure. This is particularly relevant given the large cuts to international development assistance in 2025, which are making funders ask more questions about the cost-effectiveness of interventions. As freely adoptable and adaptable, and open-source components, DPGs are extremely well positioned to be at the forefront of a new international development paradigm built around reuse, sharing, and collaboration, but only if we create the right enabling environment and recognise their broader value.Next Steps - Priorities for 2026In 2026, we will continue to mobilise stakeholders to achieve the 250 million USD goal set out in this call. However, we will increasingly see the effort to mobilise grant financing as part of developing a more comprehensive sustainability model. Our goal is for this to be a model where multilateral development banks, private sector companies, government agencies, and other stakeholders involved in DPGs4DPI planning, implementation, and maintenance processes all contribute back so that the core project remains robust and relevant.

As countries accelerate investments in digital public infrastructure (DPI), digital public goods (DPGs) have become essential building blocks for implementors—providing open-source, reusable platforms for countries to implement digital identity, payments, and data exchange systems effectively. However, the sustainability of these systems hinges on creating financing models that support the upstream maintenance of their shared open-source components—a gap the DPGA’s Calls for Collaborative Action, including its USD 250 million call for DPGs that power DPI, aims to address. Their value is clear: countries and implementers often turn to DPGs to reduce duplication, lower costs, avoid vendor lock-in, and enable countries to adapt systems to local needs. Yet adoption alone does not sustain value nor guarantee these outcomes. That depends on contribution back to the core DPGs—a form of collective stewardship involving continuous improvements, documentation, localisation, and shared learning that keeps DPGs secure, interoperable, up-to-date, and relevant across contexts.“Organisations that contribute back to the open-source projects they depend on don’t just give — they learn, innovate, and capture more value over time.” Frank Nagle, Research Scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Chief Economist, The Linux FoundationToday, the contribution loop for DPGs is underdeveloped. Most of the financing efforts target initial deployments of a DPG, neglecting the upstream maintenance of the open-source core that the DPG is built on. Many governments lack the institutional structures— whether they be Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs), procurement policies, or developer training pathways—that can make systematic contribution possible. And while DPGs are open-by-design, their contribution channels, governance models, and incentives vary widely, creating uneven participation and sometimes reinforcing capability gaps.Despite these challenges, emerging evidence shows that when contribution back to the core is intentionally supported, the benefits compound and multiply. Countries gain stronger digital capability, vendors build products and services around shared components, and global improvements circulate faster—reducing costs and strengthening resilience for all.There is no single solution to close this gap. In this article, however, we outline several modalities to consider—centred on three shifts that can help unlock the shared value of DPGs.

The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) is pleased to welcome Mozilla as its newest member. A global advocate for open-source and trustworthy technology, Mozilla, by joining the DPGA, will help strengthen shared efforts to ensure that technology serves the public interest and advances the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Mozilla’s commitment to openness is well established through initiatives such as Common Voice, whose multilingual and inclusive dataset is recognised as a digital public good that teaches machines how real people speak. The organisation also plays a leading role in advancing open-source AI and shaping policies that promote transparency, interoperability, and human-centred innovation.As part of the DPGA’s 2025 Roadmap, Mozilla will focus on three key work streams:Promoting DPGs in the Open-Source Ecosystem: Mozilla will keep advocating, engaging on policy, and publishing research to strengthen conditions and funding for open-source, public-interest technology—especially in AI.DPGs and Digital Commons: Mozilla maintains key open-source projects (e.g., Common Voice, Firefox, Thunderbird) and backs open-source AI through product work (including Mozilla.ai) and Mozilla Ventures.Funding Open Source & Public-Interest Technology: Building on its roots, Mozilla will continue funding open-source tools that address complex socio-technical issues, launching an incubator in late 2025 to help community projects achieve long-term sustainability.“Open-source AI and open data aren’t just about tech,” said Mark Surman, President of Mozilla. “They’re about access to technology and progress for people everywhere. As a double bottom line, mission-driven enterprise, Mozilla is proud to be part of the DPGA and excited to work toward our joint mission of advancing open-source, trustworthy technology that puts people first.”“I am thrilled to welcome Mozilla as an official member of the DPGA. Mozilla has long played a pivotal role in the history and momentum of the open-source movement, demonstrating that mission-driven open-source software can be world-class and competitive while stewarding a truly free and open web. This aligns deeply with the premise of digital public goods and the purpose of the DPGA — a natural fit, and we are delighted to have them join us.” Lucy Harris, COO, DPGA Secretariat To learn more about Mozilla joining the DPGA, visit their blog.To learn more about the activities they will be undertaking as part of their DPGA membership, visit the Roadmap.

Tackling climate change demands solutions that are inclusive, scalable, and cost-effective. The sheer scale and cross-sectoral nature of the crisis—from extreme weather events to resource scarcity—underscore the need for shared solutions and infrastructures that enable the speed and reach that the climate crisis requires. Recognising the transformative potential of digital public goods (DPGs) to address this urgency, the DPGA Secretariat launched a dedicated Call for Collaborative Action in early 2025. This initiative focused on identifying, supporting, and scalable open solutions that strengthen global climate monitoring, mitigation, and/or adaptation efforts.A key outcome of this collective work is the creation of the first version of a Framework for Identifying Digital Public Goods for Climate Action—a layered approach designed to identify highly relevant open-source solutions that can ideally serve as building blocks for shared global climate action infrastructure because of their potential for interoperability and scaling. For example, geospatial datasets or early-warning systems that could work with digital public infrastructure layers like digital IDs and real-time payments to work in lockstep to deliver much-needed tools for climate adaptation, mitigation, and monitoring to communities in need or at risk. In short, it’s about identifying DPGs and open-source projects that can be part of interconnected digital systems and solutions.

At a time of rapid geopolitical change, cuts to international development assistance, and increased emphasis on digital sovereignty - investing in digital public goods (DPGs) represents an attractive option for countries looking to build and evolve their foundational digital public infrastructure (DPI).As open source solutions that incorporate safeguards and best practices by design, and which can be adapted to meet contextual needs, DPGs provide an important starting point for helping countries implement and strategically maintain their most foundational components faster, better and at lower cost-over-time compared to leasing proprietary technologies or building from scratch. Few governments have the capacity and resources to do the planning, financing, deployment, operation or hosting of DPI components fully by themselves, and entering into well-structured agreements with different types of private sector stakeholders is therefore vital for the success of these digital transformation processes. However, when these agreements include the deployment and maintenance of DPGs, especially as part of building DPI, there are risks that may undermine the advantages that open source solutions provide. For these DPG4DPI-deployments we need to evolve a paradigm where a vibrant private sector benefits from actively seeking to meet implementing country objectives and to preserve the advantages and long-term sustainability of DPGs. To inform this topic, it is important to first highlight the broad variety of stakeholder types that are covered by the “private sector” term. Important groups include: Systems integrators (SIs) that specialise in bringing together various components, including hardware, software, and services, from multiple vendors to create a cohesive and functional solution for a client; Independent system vendors (ISVs) that develop, market, and sell software applications running on existing third-party infrastructure, and who tend to create specialised software solutions for more narrow markets; and Hyperscalers/cloud providers, global service providers that offer highly scalable and flexible computing infrastructure, and that provide a wide range of services, including compute, storage, networking, and AI. These different types of private sector stakeholders are similar in that they are all involved because of the expected commercial gain, but they differ widely in size, scope, engagement and business models. Hence, we must recognise that there is immense variation in the bargaining power, resourcing and contribution capacity within the group we collectively refer to as “private sector”.DPGs and the risk of extraction and lock-insThe open-source licence of a DPG ensures that access to the solution is non-exclusive, such that an implementer doesn’t need permission to adopt or adapt the solution to their needs and preferences.Most DPGs that are relevant for implementing DPI take this one step further by having permissive licenses, which give even greater freedom to the users to choose how to modify their own version of the solution, even allowing them to re-license derivatives under a proprietary license. In the context of system integrators (SIs) and hyperscalers, this offers greater flexibility for them to innovate and build upon existing code. Allowing for more seamless integration into existing proprietary systems and greater interoperability. However, it also gives these technology partners, who are at arm's length from the government, that same level of discretion in how they engage with the DPG, sometimes without clear incentives for contributing back to the source product. For example, larger private sector companies supporting multiple implementations of a DPG in different countries may find it more advantageous/profitable to offer a modified version under a new, proprietary license that they own the rights to, or make changes or configurations that result in detrimental forks and other types of lock-in. This risks undermining both the implementing country’s agency and the long-term sustainability of the core DPG.How can we shape private sector engagement in the deployment of DPGs, so that it results in genuine partnerships where country objectives are met alongside commercial goals, with sustained benefits also to the DPGs that are being deployed?