Open Source Summit Europe 2022

Without proper development and deployment of open source technology, the world will fall short of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. As a matter of fact, the UN’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation calls for Digital Public Goods based on Open Source to unlock the full potential of digital technologies, in particular in low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, the Principles for Digital Development encourage us to design open source solutions that are user-centric and developed under local leadership. Women's equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development. Over the course of five years, our NGO URIDU has proven that open digital technologies can be critical to empowering women by making vital knowledge and practical information accessible. With our new initiative "Open Source for Equality" we are building a platform and community that promote the development and use of free and open software that bridges the digital gender gap. With open source solutions built by and for women. The thing is: only 6% of open source contributors are women. And in the global South, the number is even lower. This session will outline the challenge and show how we are addressing it.