Governance

Overview

The Digital Public Goods Alliance is a multi-stakeholder UN-endorsed initiative that facilitates the discovery and deployment of open-source technologies, bringing together countries and organisations to create a thriving global ecosystem for digital public goods and helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The DPGA is not a legal entity, but an initiative jointly supported its co-hosting entities, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), UNDP, and UNICEF, who ensure that the DPGA is adequately staffed and resourced. On this page you can find information about roles and responsibilities and other governing layers of the DPGA. 

The DPGA is dedicated to operating in a transparent and participatory manner that mirrors our commitment to open source. If you have questions, please contact hello@digitalpublicgoods.net.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Secretariat

The DPGA supports, coordinates, and facilitates alignment among a community of like-minded organisations via an independent, neutral DPGA Secretariat which is overseen by a Governance Board.  

The Secretariat is co-hosted by members of the Board who, in addition to their role on the Board, provide the resources required to maintain the operational capacity and neutral convening functions of the Secretariat.

The Secretariat is overseen by two co-leads who manage the Secretariat as an independent entity accountable to the Governance Board. Read more about the DPGA Secretariat here.

Governance Board

The DPGA’s Governance Board functions as a strategic decision-making and oversight body for the DPGA Secretariat. The Board consists of member-organisations who demonstrate a strong commitment to digital public goods and are committed to supporting the DPGA’s mission and mandate. 

DPGA Board Members 
(as of January 1st, 2023) 

  • German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
  • iSPIRT
  • Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)
  • Sierra Leone Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
  • UNDP 
  • UNICEF
Read more about DPGA’s Governance Board here.
Roadmap Membership & Participation

DPGA members are aligned around a shared vision for digital cooperation and a commitment to working collaboratively to advance digital public goods. Our members consist of governments including their agencies; multilateral organisations including UN entities; philanthropic foundations, funders, and think tanks; and technology companies. The Secretariat uses the DPGA Annual Roadmap as a formal coordination, alignment, engagement, and communication tool for the DPG ecosystem.

In order to be invited to join the roadmap, an entity:

  • Must advance DPGA strategic objectives;
  • Is expected to have “significant impact” based on their size/scope and unique value add; and
  • Support alignment around the DPG Standard.

Membership in the DPGA is not a legal commitment but rather a way to publicly represent a commitment to advancing a shared vision, transparently monitoring and sharing activities, and working collaboratively as part of the DPGA to support digital public goods. A full list of members can be found on the who we are page.