Singapore joins the Digital Public Goods Alliance

Singapore joins the Digital Public Goods Alliance

7 March 2024

Open Government Products (OGP) has accepted on Singapore’s behalf an invitation to join the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA). The DPGA is a UN-endorsed initiative launched in 2019 to facilitate the discovery and deployment of open-source technologies, fostering a global ecosystem for digital public goods (DPGs) to achieve sustainable development goals, particularly in low and middle-income countries. 

“Undergirding Singapore’s participation in the Alliance is our firm belief that tech must be for the public good for Singapore and the world. Many of Singapore’s digital government products today are already open source, but through our participation in the established platform of the DGPA, we hope to encourage further adoption of our open-source products that have benefitted the Singapore society and which we are very proud of. The Alliance also offers Singapore a valuable opportunity to learn from global peers and experts, fostering an environment of continuous improvement and innovation, especially within the public service so that we can all serve our peoples better” said Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity.

As part of our membership, we affirm our commitment to deploying scalable, impactful and credible digital solutions and we will redouble our efforts in three focus areas. We will prioritise open sourcing a set of high-impact Singapore government products as DPGs. The government has built a modular set of open-sourced products to address the needs of public servants and citizens that have significant potential to tackle urgent global development challenges. The objective is to make public sector technology from Singapore discoverable and accessible for government institutions and other relevant organisations on a global level as DPGs. With this, Singapore hopes to address critical needs in areas such as data collection (FormSG), information accessibility (Isomer, GoGovSG), and trustworthy communication (Isomer, Postman).

We will also propagate Singapore’s DPGs and open-sourced products to other countries to meet their government technology needs. Singapore has previously demonstrated considerable success in working with countries like Sri Lanka and Cambodia to deploy products such as FormSG, which has now been officially designated as a digital public good. In 2024 and beyond, we are looking to replicate similar success by sharing and deploying successful solutions from Singapore to other countries around the region and the world. The planned deployment of these products promises to be an enabler for digital transformation in these countries, and exemplifies what a modern technology enabled government can look like.

We will also look to help other countries accelerate their digital transformation through sharing and training on best practices around digital public infrastructure, which is also part of our participation in 50-in-5. These include how to create bureaucratic space for digital innovation, build capacity for the development of digital public goods, and create a suite of minimalist, reusable products by starting from simple, well-defined problems. Upcoming exchanges and sessions involve other Southeast Asian countries as well as broad global panel discussions.

"We warmly welcome Singapore to the Digital Public Goods Alliance. By open sourcing high-impact government products and sharing their digital public goods globally, Singapore is setting a powerful example for others. Their efforts to help countries accelerate digital transformation through sharing best practices in implementing digital public infrastructure will be invaluable. Singapore's membership to the DPGA marks a significant step forward in our shared mission to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and we look forward to close collaboration,” shared Liv Marte Nordhaug, Chief Executive Officer of the Digital Public Goods Alliance Secretariat.

As a designated innovation unit within the government that builds technology products for Singapore, OGP has been actively advocating our technology and organisational practices across local and international communities, and open-sourcing many of our products, including FormSG and GoGovSG. It is through this work that OGP first crossed paths with DPGA, who demonstrated interest to share more about OGP and Singapore’s tech practices and products to its member countries and organisations. In November 2023, OGP represented Singapore at the DPGA Annual Members Meeting (AMM) in Addis Ababa, and shared about Singapore’s approach to building tech for public good in the Singapore government.

Current DPGA members include government agencies from Germany, Estonia, and India; United Nation (UN) entities such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU); philanthropic foundations, funders, and think tanks; and technology companies.

For further information on OGP, contact:

Cheryl Lee
Senior Marketing Manager
Tel: 9386 2026
Email: cheryl@open.gov.sg

For further information on the DPGA, contact:

Jameson Voisin
Senior Advisor, Communications and Programs
Email: jameson@digitalpublicgoods.net

About Open Government Products

Open Government Products is a modern tech team within the Singapore Government that builds technology for the public good.  From building better apps for citizens, to automating the internal operations of public agencies, we are accelerating the digital transformation of the Singapore Government. Our end goal is to shape Singapore into a model of how governments can use technology to improve the public good. Learn more about us: www.open.gov.sg

About the Smart Nation Group

The Smart Nation Group, part of the Prime Minister’s Office and administered by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), plays a multifaceted role in guiding Singapore's digital transformation and leading the development of Smart Nation strategies. In addition to driving the digitalisation of government services, the group oversees the development and application of digital technologies and capabilities across Singapore. It also promotes digital inclusivity, while regulating data and online activities, and strengthening digital security. Through its comprehensive approach, the group strives to create a digitally empowered and inclusive society, positioning Singapore as a global leader in the digital era.