Open source projects for good

For Good First Issue is a curated list of open source projects recognized as digital public goods (DPGs) that need help! DPGs are open source software, open data, open AI systems, and open content collections that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs is a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. The SDGs recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth—all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

In order to be recognized as DPGs, projects must have been found to meet the DPG Standard, which ensures they adhere to privacy and other applicable best practices, and do no harm by design. The DPG Standard is also designed to complement other relevant principles, such as the Principles for Digital Development, and is applicable to DPGs in all sectors across the 17 SDGs. The DPG Standard is itself an open source project open to contribution on GitHub, and developed in collaboration with organizations and experts.

But the challenge remains: how can we bring open source developers and DPGs together to identify issues they can work on. One way GitHub is tackling this is with the launch of For Good First Issue.