UN Open Source Week 2025 — Frequently Asked Questions

UN Open Source Week is an invitation-only event. Should your expression of interest in attending be approved, you will receive an email from opensourceweek@un.org confirming your registration and inviting you to complete an additional form to secure your spot at UN Open Source Week. Please note that invitees must complete this additional form to participate in the conference.

Please note that you will be required to show your final confirmation email when picking up your pass to access the event

The United Nations Secretariat is unable to offer travel support to attendees at this time.

Should this pose a challenge to your ability to attend the conference in person, portions of this event will be accessible remotely. All participants attending in person are encouraged to book their flights ahead of schedule once your spot has been secured.

The United Nations Secretariat cannot facilitate any request for assistance related to visa applications. Conference participants are responsible to secure their own entry visa for the United States if needed.

Please note that a successful registration to the Conference DOES NOT guarantee entrance to the United States. It is strongly recommended that participants apply for visas as early as possible.

Representatives from accredited non-governmental organizations, who plan to attend the UN Open Source Conference may apply for B-1/B-2 visitor visas or the C-2 Transit Visa. We recommend confirming with your local embassy to confirm that you are applying for the appropriate visa.

Attendees that require an invitation letter to facilitate the visa process are invited to contact us at opensourceweek@un.org. Kindly provide the following information in your email:

• Full Name (as per your passport)
• Job Title
• Organization
• Country of Residence
• Photocopy of your Passport (for our records)

Please note that the United Nations Secretariat cannot facilitate any additional requests for assistance related to visa applications.

Yes! Sessions taking place in Conference Room 2 will feature a live feed that will be shared with all attendees who indicate that they will be participating remotely in their expression of interest submission. All sessions that take place in this room will be accessible online.

Please note that the UN Tech Over event, taking place on 16 and 17 June, and the Community-Led Side Events, taking place on 17 and 20 June, will only be taking place in person.

Special Event Ticket (SET) pick up will be available outside of Visitors’ Security (1st Avenue, between 45th and 46th Street) on 16 — 19 June from 8:30 — 10:00. Registrants will be able to pick up their SETs on all dates regardless of the events they will be attending.

You must bring a national ID or Passport. Please wear your UN Security Pass at all times inside the UN. You will only receive one badge that will be valid for the entire week. Please do not lose this badge, as you cannot receive another one.

Please plan to arrive before 8:30 AM to collect your passes. You will be permitted to enter starting at 9:00 AM, but this will help you avoid lines and ensure you are seated on time for the 10:00 AM conference start time.

Registrants attending the LinkedIn side event will also be able to pick up their SETs to access the United Nations Headquarters. These will be available during the reception from 6:00 – 7:00 PM, and will cover all remaining UN events for the week (OSPOs for Good on 18 June, DPI Day on 19 June).

Food and drinks are available for purchase at any of the following UN on-site food locations:

• Riverview Cafeteria, Conference Building – 4th Floor South (11:00am – 3:00pm)
• Vienna Café, General Assembly – 1st Basement South (9:00am – 5:00pm)
• Visitors Café, General Assembly – 1st Basement North (9:00am – 5:00pm)
• Café de la Paix, General Assembly – 1st Basement South (11:00am – 3:00pm)
• Lobby Café, Secretariat Lobby, 1st Floor North (11:00am – 3:00pm)

For more information, please consult the following link: UN Dining Services Map.

Typically, when requesting reasonable accommodations for a conference or meeting at the UN Headquarters, participants must do this by contacting the organizers of that particular event ahead of time. Please note that this does not guarantee that all requested accommodations will be provided.

• Participants and visitors with disabilities can contact and/or visit the Accessibility Centre for assistive tools and technologies; computer stations with assistive devices including screen readers, Braille and other assistive keyboards; portable DAISY players, hearing aids, bone conduction headsets, specialized mice, and Braille notetakers. Contact: accessibilitycentre@un.org.
• Wheelchair charging provisions with signage are located at various locations in the conference facilities.
• Upon request, the UN can reserve specific seats for persons with disabilities with ample space to maneuver, and also additional seats for personal assistants, sign language interpreters, and/or captioners.
• Upon request ahead of time, additional time can be given to presenters with disabilities, but is not guaranteed.
• The UN Headquarters is continually upgrading and making its website more accessible.
• Upon request, real-time captioning (in English and Spanish) and sign language interpretation are available, but not guaranteed due to lack of capacity and resources.

Access to the UN Headquarters

When requesting a taxi or paratransit to and from the United Nations Headquarters, the drop-off and pick-up location is at 44th Street and 1st Avenue.

To enter the United Nations Headquarters, there is an access ramp at the 46th Street and 1st Avenue Visitors’ Entrance. After exiting the security screening area, there are entrances allocated for persons with disabilities to enter the General Assembly Building marked with signs. Upon entering the building, there is an information desk to ask for additional information. Throughout the UN complex, security officers will guide anyone who needs assistance to the appropriate turnstiles to access the respective areas.

The UN Headquarters is located on 1st Avenue between 42nd and 48th Streets. The delegate entrance is located near 42nd Street, and the visitors’ entrance is near 46th Street. Additional information can be found in the Accessibility CentreMap of the UN Headquarters.

If arriving directly from the airport, please note that suitcases will not be allowed through the Visitors’ Security.

Should you like to participate as a volunteer staff for the conference, kindly take a moment to fill out our volunteer staff interest form.

In accordance with UN security requirements, minors planning to attend the UN Open Source Week must notify the organizing team in advance.

Please reach out by emailing opensourceweek@un.org.

By definition, open source development is collaborative, inclusive and revolutionary when compared to traditional software and businesses built on proprietary and closed practices. The open source paradigm is based on the idea that software reuse does not need to stop at organizational boundaries. By sharing source code freely under a license that generously permits copying, modification, and redistribution, open source projects allow collaborative software development that benefits a larger community. By removing barriers between innovators, open source promotes free exchange of ideas within a community to drive creative, scientific and technological advancement.

The term open source also applies beyond software and can include openly licensed content, data, standards and AI models that allow access for anyone to view, use and adapt them. Promoting open source technologies is thus critical to ensuring that technologies’ full benefits are harnessed to achieve the United Nations’ mandates, goals and perspectives.