An important step was taken towards quality education and access to information for all, as UNESCO’s General Conference adopted today a Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (OER).
This new Recommendation will support the development and sharing of openly licensed learning and teaching materials, benefitting students, teachers and researchers worldwide.
“The Recommendation on OER will contribute to the building of open and inclusive knowledge societies, and to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” highlighted Mr Moez Chakchouk, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information.
OER are learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, which permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.
The UNESCO Recommendation will support the creation, use and adaptation of inclusive and quality OER, and facilitate international cooperation in this field. Its objectives also include the development of supportive policies and the creation of sustainability models for OER.
During the General Conference debates, several Member States from different world regions expressed their support to the Recommendation on OER, underlining its important role in providing access to quality education on digital platforms. The key contribution of OER to the construction of open, inclusive and participatory knowledge societies was echoed throughout the discussion.
“I welcome the intersectoral cooperation around the Recommendation” said Ms Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education. “It shows how two Sectors can collaborate and support Members States”. Ms Giannini also highlighted that the term and concept of OER were coined in UNESCO in 2002.
In his concluding remarks, Mr Moez Chakchouk, Assistant Director General for Communication and Information, announced the launch of a Dynamic Coalition to expand and consolidate commitments and strategies in the area of OER
This Dynamic Coalition reflects the Ministerial Statement for the 2nd World OER Congress, and will contribute to promoting and reinforcing international cooperation on the implementation of the Recommendation. UNESCO will work closely to support Member States and other stakeholders in this regard.
For more information, please contact Zeynep Varoglu at: z.varoglu@unesco.org.