A regional hub for free and open source software across Southeast and East Asia
The International Open Source Network (IOSN) ASEAN+3 is the regional Centre of Excellence for Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), Open Content, and Open Standards serving the ten ASEAN nations plus China, Japan, and South Korea. Hosted at the National Telehealth Center, University of the Philippines Manila, it operates under the mandate of the UNDP Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP).
IOSN was originally established by UNDP and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada as a pan-Asia network. In 2008 it decentralised into three independent Centres of Excellence — ASEAN+3 in Manila, South Asia in Chennai (CDAC), and Pacific Islands in Suva — each carrying forward the core mission of democratising software access across the region.
Free & Open Source Software
Policy advice, training, and adoption support for FOSS across governments, civil society, and enterprise.
Open Content
Primers, manuals, and learning materials distributed under Creative Commons licences — freely reusable and adaptable.
Open Standards
Promoting interoperability, vendor independence, and digital sovereignty through open technical standards.
Regional Networking
Connecting FOSS advocates, governments, and communities across thirteen countries to share knowledge and capacity.
From a Bangkok secretariat to Manila's National Telehealth Center
IOSN Founded
Established by UNDP-APDIP and IDRC Canada with a secretariat at the UN Regional Centre in Bangkok, and a remit to advance FOSS adoption across Asia-Pacific.
Primer Series Published
IOSN releases its landmark series of FOSS primers — covering general introduction, government policy, licensing, education, open standards, and network infrastructure — all under open content licences and mirrored on Wikibooks.
Centres of Excellence Announced
IOSN expands with three regional nodes to address the growing ICT needs of the Asia-Pacific. The announcement marks the beginning of a distributed model for FOSS advocacy.
IOSN ASEAN+3 Launched in Manila
The UP Manila National Telehealth Center (NTHC) becomes the official convenor of IOSN ASEAN+3, created by UNDP. NTHC was already running the pioneering CHITS open-source EMR across Philippine health centres.
Asia eHealth Information Network
NTHC co-founds the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) in cooperation with the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, extending the IOSN spirit into health information systems across the region.
Why FOSS matters for developing nations
IOSN's founding argument, drawn from its Wikipedia entry and primer series, rests on six interconnected freedoms:
Universal Access
Software usable without restriction or per-seat licence fees.
Technology Sovereignty
Less dependence on proprietary, imported platforms and vendors.
Collaboration
Freedom to share code and jointly develop regional solutions.
Localisation
Adapt software to local languages, cultures, and health systems.
Local Capacity
Build indigenous developer communities rather than import expertise.
Interoperability
Open standards prevent vendor lock-in and support long-term sustainability.
From policy primers to open-source health records
The IOSN ASEAN+3 node, anchored at UP Manila NTHC, bridges FOSS advocacy with concrete digital public infrastructure in health:
CHITS
Community Health Information Tracking System — the first open-source EMR for government health facilities in the Philippines, installed in over 200 primary care centres.
OpenMRS in Asia
NTHC, with IDRC and Capiz Province, runs the largest OpenMRS deployment in Asia across district hospitals and rural health units.
FOSS Primer Series
Over a dozen open-content primers covering FOSS licensing, government policy, education, and network infrastructure — freely available on Wikibooks and iosn.net.
AeHIN
Asia eHealth Information Network — co-founded by NTHC and WHO-WPRO in 2012 to advance digital health governance and interoperability across Asia.