Michael Downey is Open Source Specialist at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Michael’s career in tech and open source spans over two decades in the UN system, civil society, and the private sector. He was responsible for collaborative IT programmes in international healthcare and financial services companies before moving on to help lead OpenMRS, an open source health platform built in and for the global majority, earning the Free Software Foundation’s Award for Projects of Social Benefit. He later served as director of open source programs for the Digital Impact Alliance at the United Nations Foundation, where he focused on strengthening the Digital Public Goods ecosystem. At UNDP, he leads a joint effort with the International Telecommunication Union to develop local capacity to support countries’ adoption of open source software and DPG’s using the model of Open Source Programme Offices, or OSPOs. Michael has two undergraduate degrees in electrical and computer engineering, and his doctoral research focused on cross-cultural computer supported cooperative work.