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January 7, 2026

Software Heritage endorses United Nations Open Source principles

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Software Heritage, the universal archive of software source code, announced its official endorsement of the United Nations Open Source Principles. This move solidifies the organization’s commitment to an open, collaborative, and sustainable digital future, aligning its mission with the foundational guidelines driving open source adoption across the UN system and the world.
With the endorsement, Software Heritage joins the growing community of organizations.  These principles, adopted by the UN Chief Executive Board’s Digital Technology Network (DTN), provide guidelines to drive collaboration and Open Source adoption within the UN and globally. They provide a crucial framework for leveraging Open Source to tackle global challenges and support the UN’s digital transformation.

“Software is the fabric of our digital lives, yet it remains endangered knowledge. Our commitment to the UN Principles signifies a shift from merely providing code to actively safeguarding a digital public good that serves the Sustainable Development Goals and preserves humankind’s executable history for generations to come,” says Roberto Di Cosmo, Director, Software Heritage.

Software Heritage’s core mission to create ‘The Great Library of Source Code’ directly embodies the spirit of the UN Open Source Principles, particularly:

  • Open by default: Software Heritage has a long-standing commitment to release its source code only under Free Software licenses, and the Statement on LLM for Code also requires LLMs to be published under a FLOSS license.
  • Foster inclusive participation and community building, and empower individuals and communities to actively participate: Software Heritage is in a unique position to provide insight on critical open source projects and to help them move towards more inclusivity. 
  • Design for reusability: By providing a unique, citable identifier for every piece of source code, Software Heritage drastically improves reusability in all projects.
  • Software Heritage provides a permanent, searchable ledger of source code—an indispensable tool for accountability. By enabling users to trace project history and browse the exact state of any repository at any past point, it ensures full transparency and eliminates the risk of digital disappearance.
  • Sustain and scale: Software Heritage builds a perennial, resilient infrastructure necessary for the long-term sustainability of the entire open source ecosystem.

“We are truly delighted to have Software Heritage endorse the UN Open Source Principles. Your support carries particular significance to us, given the incredible work you are doing to build the great library of source code,” Omar Mohsine, Co-chair of the United Nations Open Source Software Community of Practice.

Software Heritage is more than an archive; it’s a critical resource for digital sovereignty. While its core code is already open-source, adopting the UN Open Source Principles marks a shift from simply providing code to actively prioritizing security, diversity, and inclusivity. This commitment recognizes that solving global challenges requires global cooperation. Endorsing these principles ensures that open software remains a robust, inclusive foundation for the planet’s shared future.

Software Heritage encourages other organizations and stakeholders to review and endorse the UN Open Source Principles, fostering a global community dedicated to collaboration, transparency, and the common good through open source.