The growing public-sector support for ODF was on display at the 3rd International ODF User Workshop, which concluded last week in Brasilia. The event—organized by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SERPRO (Federal Service for Data Processing - Ministry of Finance, Brazil) and Caixa Econômica Federal, in collaboration with the ODF Alliance—brought together representatives from governments around the world that have already made the move to ODF or are actively considering how best to utilize an open format to preserve access to documents and records, increase software choice, and save some money in the process. The first day of the event was held at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty Palace) and the second day at CONSEGI, the largest international free software and electronic government conference organized by the Brazilian Federal Government.

Who was there? Government officials from twelve countries—India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, and Venezuela, in addition to the host, Brazil.

What happened? What was different about Brasilia than the previous ODF Workshops in Berlin in 2007 and Pretoria in 2008 was the focus on the needs of developing countries, in particular the use of open standards like ODF to promote local development and independence in ICT. Governments shared ODF best practices (compile implementation guidelines, build new templates instead of converting existing ones, secure support of power users, ensure top-level political support, build internal capacity) to get out from under “the deep foothold of proprietary formats” that have kept them on an upgrade treadmill. The workshop presentations will be published here.

What was signed? Brazil’s approach to putting ODF policy into practice took another major step forward with the signing of the Brasilia Protocol. In the presence of President Lula, major government institutions across Brazil formally signed what is in effect a commitment, which will proceed in phases, obligating signatories to begin using ODF internally, with each other, and ultimately in their electronic interaction with third parties and the public. The next day, the protocol was opened to private-sector entities for signature. Forty-four have since signed. Workshop participants expressed a strong interest in “internationalizing” the approach taken in the Brasilia Protocol.

Who was recognized? Earlier this year, the ODF Alliance recognized Vitorio Furusho (Parana State, Brazil) and the IT@School project (Kerala, India) for their outstanding contribution to ODF adoption, the mission of the ODF Alliance. I took this opportunity to surprise Furusho and present the award to him in person. Furusho was omnipresent, wasting no opportunity to tell the ODF story and demonstrating why he was recognized for his work in ODF community development

What they were wearing? ODF fashion also took a step forward. Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim is seen here after delivering remarks welcoming participants. 

Interest in ODF in the public sector is stronger than ever judging by the enthusiasm displayed and the number of governments expressing an interest in hosting the next workshop. I enjoyed the presence of the many local students with an interest in IT –- I judged their age to be in the range of 12-15 –- who were bussed into the event and provided free rein to attend CONSEGI sessions and mingle with participants. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SERPRO, and the Caixa Econômica Federal were gracious hosts. The ODF community is deeply indebted to them for their considerable efforts in making the event a success.