International IT experts have urged governments worldwide to promote the use of open source

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software as a cost-effective, customisable and robust technology option at a convention here.

The three-day meet concluded on Thursday with a call to governments worldwide to include Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in national and regional IT policies.

A wider adoption of FOSS in all software domains, including government, industry, business, research and education, was essential in the future world, a release issued by the organisers said today.

The participants felt FOSS had a great role in developing various solutions for the problems faced by mankind.

According to the International Centre for FOSS, which organised the event, free software could be applied even for development of adaptation strategies for climatic change.

The fourth edition of the conference, supported by the Kerala government, was attended by experts from various parts of India, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, US and Europe.

The Delhi-based Software Freedom Law Centre, the Computer Society of India and the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers were partners to the conference.

The meet also called for a FOSS-centric curriculum for IT studies in schools and institutions of higher education.