Barcelona backs new global open-source principles

Barcelona has become the first city in the world to officially support the United Nations Open Source Principles. The endorsement supports the use of open, safe and sustainable technologies designed to serve the public interest and reflects the city’s continued focus on digital policies based on transparency, participation and technological autonomy.

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) was the first organisation to formally endorse the principles. Executive Director Stefano Maffulli said: “The UN Open Source Principles comprise the same Open Source values that drive innovation, contribute to an US$8.8 trillion economic impact, and enable organisations all over the world to achieve their objectives.”

The principles were adopted by the UN Chief Executive Board’s Digital Technology Network to encourage collaboration and the use, development and sharing of open-source software within the UN system and beyond. The framework sets out eight guidelines intended to help organisations shape digital tools and systems that are collaborative, adaptable and designed for reuse.

The principles encourage organisations to make open source the default for new projects, contribute improvements back to the community and embed security from the outset. They call for diverse and inclusive participation in developing and maintaining solutions, and for tools to be designed so they can be reused and adapted across different platforms. Clear documentation for users and developers is expected. The RISE principle (recognise, incentivise, support and empower) focuses on supporting contributors, while the final guideline stresses the need to plan for projects to be sustained and scaled over time.

Barcelona’s endorsement is in line with its extensive work on public open-source technologies to strengthen transparency and digital rights. The city has developed a number of digital services and platforms based on open-source frameworks over several years, including Decidim, the participation platform used to support citizen engagement; Sentilo, a sensor network system for sharing urban data; and tools created by the Municipal Data Office to support the use of data across city services. In addition, municipal websites have been developed using open-source technologies such as Drupal, enabling greater interoperability and customisation.

Barcelona plans to develop a broader pact on open-source technology and digital rights with public institutions, universities, the tech sector, community groups and businesses. The aim is to establish a shared strategy that supports fair and democratic digitalisation across the city, building on the foundations created by previous open-source initiatives.

Image: Pere Sanz | Dreamstime.com