Unlocking the potential of open-source to drive real-world impact

Launching the DPGs for Climate Action Collection

At the Digital Public Goods Alliance, we are committed to improving how digital public goods are discovered and adopted—helping governments and organisations identify trusted, open solutions that can support their digital transformation efforts.Recognising that many countries are actively advancing digital public infrastructure, the DPGA previously launched the DPGs for DPI Collection to help point governments and organisations toward relevant, proven digital public goods they can adopt.Building on this approach, we are pleased to introduce the DPGs for Climate Action Collection. Launched on April 17 at the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee (UNFCCC TEC) Joint Advisory Board meeting in Incheon, South Korea, this new collection highlights digital public goods with a proven track record of supporting climate mitigation and adaptation, while demonstrating the ability to interoperate. This is critical, as it signals that solutions can be adopted as building blocks—stacked and integrated to deliver greater impact.Co-stewarded with the CTCN and the UNFCCC TEC, all solutions included in the collection must meet the DPGs for Climate Action Identification Framework. This ensures that solutions are not only DPGs, but also relevant, proven, and designed to scale.A collection alone is not a silver bullet, but it provides a foundation for further work, including:Increasing the discoverability of vetted, high-impact toolsHelping funders and implementers identify solutions to support and scaleHighlighting gaps where open solutions do not yet existIncentivising more projects to become digital public goodsStrengthening understanding of how open solutions can advance climate actionThe collection launches with an initial cohort of solutions, including tools supporting energy planning, geospatial data integration, and environmental monitoring. Solutions will continue to be added on a rolling basis.By making it easier to find, assess, and adopt proven digital public goods, we aim to accelerate the role of open, interoperable technologies in addressing the climate crisis.

Beyond Openness: Shaping a Responsible AI Future Through the UN Global Dialogue

Despite a world characterised by uncertainty and the unravelling of established norms, safe and trustworthy AI emerges as a collective governance challenge that requires an inclusive approach. Diverse global actors must come together to balance innovation with ecological limits, promote power equity, and uphold the public interest. Against this backdrop, open technologies such as digital public goods play a key role in enabling global cooperation, agency, transparency, and, ultimately, trust. The DPGA Secretariat is happy to share that we submitted our response to the United Nations’ Call for Submissions to inform the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, a platform established by the UN General Assembly to facilitate international cooperation, share best practices and address AI governance challenges such as increased fragmentation and the geopolitical question of who controls AI infrastructure.The Global Dialogue: A Vehicle for the Global Digital CompactThe Global Digital Compact has formally recognised DPGs as the backbone of an equitable digital future. Under Objective 1, the GDC explicitly commits to:"...Increas[ing] investment in and the development of digital public goods, including open-source software, open data, open artificial intelligence models, and open content, to promote inclusive digital transformation and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals."The DPGA Secretariat understands the UN Global Dialogue not just as a forum for discussion, but also as a critical vehicle for implementing the GDC commitments. By connecting ongoing initiatives such as the DPG Standard, which is used to vet every DPG, and our work on open source software and open data for responsible AI development (DPG4AI) with pressing AI governance issues such as safety, security and bridging AI divides, we aim for the dialogue to turn these high-level objectives into practical action through a clear implementation roadmap. Frugal AI and the Path to Digital SovereigntyA key precondition is that we move beyond the assumption that meaningful progress depends on matching the massive, energy-intensive computing scale of big tech. An alternative narrative is frugal AI: smaller, specialised, and highly efficient models that are trained on local data and optimised for lower-end hardware and limited computational infrastructure. This approach is also more easily compatible with the DPG Standard’s high openness requirements for datasets and models. However, democratising AI development is not just about access to existing models; it is about reclaiming the agency to build technology that fits local economic, social and ecological realities. Digital public goods across the AI development lifecycle, along with open source AI models, are indispensable tools for achieving this goal, particularly because they are more cost-efficient than closed-source APIs when deployed at government scale. By prioritising efficiency over sheer scale, countries can reduce their dependence on external hyperscalers, lower their carbon footprint, and work towards a vision of AI development and deployment under sovereign control. However, this approach needs to be complemented by rigorous trust and safety tooling. Moving Beyond "Openness" as a Silver BulletA central theme of our recent reflections from the AI Impact Summit in India was that openness is not a silver bullet. While the DPGA champions open source software and models that help attain the SDGs, they must always be complemented by measures to avoid doing harm and adhere to privacy and other applicable laws, as baked into the DPG Standard. Lastly, not every problem needs AI as a solution - on the contrary, treating AI as the “default” often creates more problems than it solves, because it entrenches existing structural inequalities. The DPGA Secretariat’s submission highlights the role of DPGs for equitable AI development, but also cautions that openness must be paired with robust governance to address deeper, systemic issues:Power Imbalances and Exploitation: Governance must explicitly address the concentration of power in the AI industry and exploitative practices, particularly regarding data collection and labour in the Global Majority.Economic and Ecological Impact: We must account for the massive computational requirements and environmental costs of AI, advocating for "frugal AI" approaches that minimise energy consumption and computational barriers.The Illusion of Equity: Openness alone does not guarantee equity if large technology companies continue to benefit disproportionately from open resources while local developers face massive resource constraints.Reclaiming AI for the Public InterestOur submission to the Global AI Dialogue is rooted in the belief that AI governance must address these topics urgently and should build on existing work and initiatives—such as the DPG Standard—that ensure technology is safe, inclusive, and designed for public benefit. Reiterating our stance from the AI Impact Summit, by pairing openness with deep public-sector-led investment in research, safety, and trusted data infrastructures, we can move toward a global AI ecosystem that empowers everyone to build and own AI on their own terms.Read the full submissions here.

Strengthening Data Systems for Energy Outcomes

Delivering climate and energy outcomes at scale requires strong systems to collect, verify, and act on data. For many countries, however, high costs, technical complexity, and fragmented or missing digital infrastructure limit the ability to mobilise finance, track results, and translate commitments into action.Digital public goods can help address these constraints by providing openly accessible, adaptable tools that countries can adopt and operate themselves. When aligned with privacy and other established best practices, such tools can support both climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Just as importantly, they offer governments greater control, transparency, and long-term confidence in the digital systems underpinning these efforts.One example is Prospect, a platform developed by the Access to Energy Institute in cooperation with GET.invest that collects, harmonises, aggregates, analyses, and visualises data from modern, sustainable energy solutions that expand energy access. By standardising how energy data is captured and verified, Prospect supports more effective planning, financing, and monitoring of energy access programmes. It also reduces the cost and technical burden of measuring and reporting climate-relevant outcomes, including emissions reductions where relevant.In 2025, one of Prospect’s major initiatives was supporting Uganda’s Electricity Access Scale Up Project (EASP)), led by the Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company and primarily funded by the World Bank. The USD 135 million programme was designed to make clean energy technologies more affordable by paying companies based on verified results. Prospect provided the digital foundation for this approach, enabling the collection, verification, and reporting of data needed to track deliveries and trigger payments. Within its first year, more than 80 energy service companies participated, resulting in over 550,000 off-grid solar systems, clean cooking solutions, and productive-use appliances being delivered. By automating data flows and making progress visible at both the project and national level, Prospect reduced transaction costs, improved transparency, and helped accelerate the flow of funding—supporting faster progress toward Uganda’s electrification goals.Since becoming a digital public good in late 2025, early benefits and potential synergies have begun to emerge. DPG recognition has helped open conversations with new governments. It has also helped address growing concerns around digital sovereignty and vendor lock-in—issues that have become increasingly important for countries in the context of shifting global dynamics.Beyond enabling new government engagement, DPG recognition has also helped catalyse collaboration with other digital public goods that share complementary missions and goals, including exploring how these tools can work together with multilateral institutions and philanthropic organisations seeking trusted digital solutions to advance climate action. This content is part of the 2025 State of the Digital Public Goods Ecosystem Report, published by the Digital Public Goods Alliance in early February 2025. Learn more about the Alliance’s latest community highlights and explore the full report here.