atios.id, Baku – Irvannanda, Chairman of the Association for Information Technology & Open Source (ATIOS), was one of the speakers at the international forum Global South NGO Platform (April 29, 2025), held in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan. In the prestigious panel session at the Baku Convention Center titled “Bridging Borders: D8 Collaboration for a Prosperous Future”, Irvannanda delivered a presentation themed “Connecting Global South NGOs: Harnessing Technology for Collaboration and Collective Advancement.”
This forum brought together hundreds of representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research institutions, development agencies, and stakeholders from various countries across the Global South—a term that refers to developing nations in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania that face similar development challenges and opportunities. The primary goal of the Global South NGO Platform is to create a space for strategic dialogue and cross-border partnerships, especially in response to global issues such as climate change, digital inequality, community empowerment, and economic justice.
The “Bridging Borders” panel focused on cooperation among member countries of the Developing Eight (D-8), an international economic organization consisting of eight Muslim-majority countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. The D-8 aims to strengthen the position of its member states within the global economic order through inclusive, productive, and solidarity-based South-South cooperation.
In this session, Irvannanda emphasized the critical role of technology—particularly open technologies, collaborative digital platforms, and distributed information systems—as strategic infrastructure that can strengthen cross-border NGO networks. He outlined how digital transformation rooted in the principles of openness and data sovereignty can enable NGOs to share resources, align operational strategies, and accelerate joint action in a measurable and sustainable way.
“Amid complex global challenges, we cannot move forward in isolation. Cross-border collaboration is not just an ideal—it is a necessity. Technology gives us the opportunity to shorten distances, unify visions, and amplify impact. For NGOs in the Global South, this is the right moment to unite, build our own digital ecosystems, and advocate for a development narrative that centers communities,” Irvannanda explained in his presentation.
Irvannanda also stressed the importance of building trust infrastructure among organizations through open, transparent, and collectively accessible technological platforms. He called on NGOs from D-8 countries and the wider Global South to collaborate in developing community-based technologies and to adopt open source as the foundation for an inclusive and just digital transformation.
The presence of Irvannanda and ATIOS at this forum reflects Indonesia’s active role in promoting development diplomacy through civil society and technology. As an organization focused on open technology and inclusive digital transformation, ATIOS reaffirms its commitment to building collaborative bridges between NGO actors at both regional and global levels.
In addition to serving as a speaker, Irvannanda also held a series of bilateral meetings with various NGOs and institutional representatives from Turkey, Nigeria, and Bangladesh to explore partnership opportunities in digital literacy projects, collaborative platform development, and sustainable technology policy advocacy. During his presentation, Irvannanda also offered ATIOS’s support in developing an online web profile for NGOs participating in the Global South NGO Platform.
About the Global South NGO Platform
The Global South NGO Platform is a multilateral forum established to strengthen solidarity and collaboration among NGOs from developing countries. The forum aims to promote knowledge exchange, capacity building, and cross-sector synergy in addressing global development issues through contextual and locally-driven approaches.
About D-8 (Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation)
The D-8 is an economic cooperation organization among eight developing countries that aims to enhance its members’ positions in the global economy, promote trade diversification, and expand development cooperation networks. Founded in 1997, the D-8 stands as a symbol of South-South solidarity that remains increasingly relevant in contemporary geopolitics and geoeconomics.
About ATIOS
The Association for Information Technology & Open Source (ATIOS) is an organization committed to the development and use of open technologies for equitable digital transformation. ATIOS works across sectors to promote digital literacy, community engagement in technology development, and global collaboration in information technology that prioritizes the public interest. (PA/FDLN)
