Governance

Overview

The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together a diverse set of stakeholders that unite around a common vision, strategic objectives, definition, and standard for DPGs.

The DPGA is not a legal entity, but an initiative jointly supported by the current 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 (also referred to as “co-hosts”) 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. Current co-hosts are Norad, UNDP, and UNICEF.

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 is governed by a board which 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, 2022) 

  • 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

The DPGA is composed of organisations aligned around a shared vision for digital cooperation and a commitment to working collaboratively to advance digital public goods. The Secretariat uses the DPGA Annual Roadmap as a formal coordination, alignment, engagement, and communication tool for the DPG ecosystem.

For an organisation to be invited to join the roadmap they:

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

Organisations who participate in the DPGA Roadmap may be invited to formalise their participation and relationship with the DPGA by becoming DPGA Members, which entails: 

  • Fulfilling all criteria for roadmap participation;
  • Linking to the DPGA website from the organisation’s website; 
  • Advocating on behalf of the DPGA, for instance by providing high-level representatives to speak to the DPG agenda in relevant events or publishing and producing work that supports the DPGA’s mission; and
  • Actively seek to coordinate and align DPGA-relevant activities with other members, for instance by participating in meetings.

Membership in the DPGA is not a legal commitment but rather a way to publicly represent an organisation’s commitment to advancing a shared vision, transparently monitoring and sharing their 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. 

The Secretariat invites prospective roadmap members to add their activities to this public form.