From: http://lpi.org/news/lpi-applauds-un-organization-report
LPI Applauds UN Organization Report

(Sacramento, CA, USA: November 29, 2012) The Linux Professional Institute (LPI), the world's premier Linux certification organization (http://www.lpi.org), applauds the release of the flagship report "The Information Economy Report 2012: The Software Industry and Developing Countries" by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The report provides specific recommendations on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) for national policy makers and includes two examples of the value of LPI's training and certification programs for ICT development.

"We are pleased to be included in this landmark study on the key drivers in the evolving global software landscape and how our program at LPI has
played a role in the development of the IT industry within select geographies around the world," said Jim Lacey, president and CEO of LPI. "This report is also exemplary for the Free and Open Source Software community as it recognizes how FOSS solutions can offer both IT export opportunities and provide solutions for domestic software needs within national economies," added Mr.Lacey.

LPI's programs are cited within the report as follows:

* Within Chapter IV (Section B. FOSS and Local Software Industry Development, pg.66) is a case study entitled "Creating business and
learning opportunities with FOSS in Africa: the case of ict@innovation". This example describes LPI's training and certification program with
ict@innovation and goes on to state that the "provision of such courses can be a viable business opportunity. Moreover, by having certified
staff, African IT enterprises involved in open source software can improve the quality of their services and win new clients."

* In Chapter V: Policies To Enable National Software Systems, Section C: Securing Access to Relevant Skills (pg.93) the report describes LPI's
joint program with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to support Linux certification and training within the 22 member countries
of the League of Arab States. The case study notes this initiative followed a joint LPI/ITU pilot program in Afghanistan, the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Pakistan, Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen: "LPI's network of industry representatives,
enterprise customers and Linux professionals recognize an economic interest in this training program as it connects to a community which
speaks the local language. LPI’s mandate is to promote professional standards and global adoption of Linux and other open source software
through training. It is expected that open source software will quickly become attractive for the majority of the region’s young ICT trainees as
it has deep roots in community and collaborative work groups."

FOSS related highlights include the following:

* In "Chapter IV: The Role of Free and Open Source Software" (pg.62-63), the report describes the following values of FOSS to the development of
national software industries:
- Promotion of local learning
- Lower costs and local value creation
- Less dependence on specific technologies and vendors
- Enable adaptation of software to local needs
- Address concerns related to national security and long-term availability

* The report's concluding policy recommendations (pg.108) also provides national governments with direction on enabling FOSS adoption and use:

"Give adequate attention to FOSS, especially in public procurement:...FOSS can promote domestic market development and local
innovation. Rather than purchasing software licences and services abroad, local FOSS development, sales and services can help keep
resources within the local economy, avoid dependency on specific vendors and provide opportunities for income generation and employment. FOSS can
also enable local software SMEs to establish new niche markets. Governments should seize the various advantages of relying on FOSS when
this offers a competitive solution to their software needs.Technological trends, especially with regard to cloud computing, mobile
applications and big data, are further accentuating the reliance on FOSS."

The full report is available at:
http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ier2012_en.pdf