The DPGA at IGF 2025: Advancing Cooperation on Digital Public Goods
Author: DPGA Secretariat
This year’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Norway brought together global leaders, technologists, and policymakers to build trust, resilience and digital cooperation to ensure technology and future innovation is sustainable, accessible, and rights respecting. The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) was proud to contribute to this momentum by spotlighting the role of digital public goods (DPGs) and open-source solutions as key enablers of IGF’s goals.
At a time when countries are seeking ways to build digital systems that are both cost effective and equitable, the DPGA used its presence at IGF to make the case that DPGs—open-source, interoperable tools designed for public benefit—are not only viable, but vital for achieving safe, inclusive, and interoperable digital public infrastructure.
A High-Level Session on Digital Public Goods and Cooperation
Ms. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission, and Ms. Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance, Norway at the Internet Governance Forum 2025. Photo: Helge Øgård Meisal.
The DPGA co-organised a high-level session on digital public goods and digital cooperation, which was moderated by Liv Marte Nordhaug, CEO of the DPGA Secretariat, and Thomas Davin, Director, Office of Innovation, UNICEF . The session featured keynote remarks and panels with:
- Ms. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission
- Ms. Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance, Norway
- Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nigeria
- Dr. Takuo Imagawa, Vice-Minister for International Affairs, Government of Japan
- Ms. Luanna Roncaratti, Deputy Secretary for Digital Government, Brazil
- Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies
- Mr. Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman, Infosys Technologies Limited
Liv Marte Nordhaug, CEO, DPGA Secretariat, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nigeria, Dr. Takuo Imagawa, Vice-Minister for International Affairs, Government of Japan, Ms. Luanna Roncaratti, Deputy Secretary for Digital Government, Brazil, Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies. Photo: Helge Øgård Meisal.
Together, they made the case for scaling digital public goods through international collaboration, open standards, and local adaptation.
“Very important technologies and digital tools shouldn’t be limited only to those who have massive resources. It’s very important that we develop the technologies together—and of course, open-source ideas or solutions are a very important basis for that.” — Ms. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission
“We need to get better at using our resources more efficiently and effectively. More than ever, it’s important that we cooperate, that we help each other, that we share technology—both nationally and internationally. The whole idea behind digital public goods is exactly this mindset about sharing.” — Ms. Karianne Tung, Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance, Norway
“DPG principles are how we ensure that the solutions we call digital public infrastructure are how we scale, use our resource effectively, and how we ensure that we can bridge the trust deficit gap that exist in society” — Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nigeria
“If we are going to modernise our societies, the only way to do that—especially with the budget constraints that countries have—is to use a DPG approach: to build open models, make them available to the world, then create building blocks that societies can mix and match to enable interoperability.” — Mr. Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman, Infosys Technologies Limited
“As we advance DPI, open-source technology plays a critical role. It enables data to be shared securely and used effectively across sectors, fostering transparency, innovation, and efficiency.” — Dr. Takuo Imagawa, Vice-Minister for International Affairs, Government of Japan
“The federal government is working to make CAR (Brazil’s environmental registry system) available as a digital public good— to share with the world a solution that allows the construction of a robust and complete environmental database in other countries. In this context, digital public goods play a relevant role in delivering reusable and accessible data and technologies that can be adapted locally to accelerate sustainable solutions.” — Ms. Luanna Roncaratti, Deputy Secretary for Digital Government, Brazil
“If we don’t have safeguards, then we don’t have trust. If we don’t have trust, we don’t have adoption. And if we don’t have adoption, there’s no impact. So that's the operating equation and the motivation for the development of the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework" — Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies
This session sent a powerful message: digital public goods are central to building a more trusted, inclusive, equitable, and impactful digital future.
50-in-5: Enabling Regional Approaches to Digital Public Infrastructure
In addition to the high-level session, the DPGA also convened a discussion exploring how countries are collaborating across borders to advance digital public infrastructure, spotlighting how the 50-in-5 campaign is strengthening the digital cooperation needed.
Moderated by Jon Lloyd, Director of Advocacy and the 50-in-5 Campaign at the DPGA Secretariat, the session highlighted how countries are leveraging digital public goods to drive local ownership and interoperability at scale. The panel featured:
- Desire N. Kachenje, Senior Principal, Investments – Africa, Co-Develop
- Rahul Matthan, Partner, Trilegal
- Henri Verdier, Ambassador for Digital Affairs, Government of France
- Renata Avila, CEO, Open Knowledge Foundation
The session underscored how 50-in-5—which aims to support 50 countries in building safe, inclusive, and interoperable DPI by 2028—is helping translate the principles of the Global Digital Compact into tangible, cross-border action. Participants explored practical examples of regional alignment, capacity building, and technical cooperation, and celebrated Kazakhstan joining the campaign.
Speakers shared perspectives from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, emphasising the importance of government leadership, ecosystem engagement, and local capacity. The discussion highlighted how DPGs are being adapted to region-specific challenges, from enabling migrant access to financial services in southern Africa to bolstering digital sovereignty and public sector resilience in Europe and Latin America. The panel also explored how open-source technologies can drive innovation while preserving national agency. View the entire session below.
