The 2019 Recommendation on OER
The 2019 Recommendation on OER addresses practitioners and decision makers in governmental and institutional settings and encourages knowledge-sharing, capacity-building and policy support related to digital public goods for learning. It outlines recommendations to Member States in five areas of action: (i) building the capacity of stakeholders to create, access, reuse, adapt and redistribute OER; (ii) developing supportive policy; (iii) ensuring inclusive and equitable access to quality OER; (iv) nurturing the creation of sustainability models for OER; and (v) facilitating international cooperation
UNESCO Member States adopted the Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (OER) (2019) hereinafter referred to as “the 2019 Recommendation”) at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference. The 2019 Recommendation calls on governments to support the creation and sharing of learning and teaching content through open licences that respect the intellectual property rights of the copyright owner and provide permissions granting the public the legal rights to access, reuse, repurpose, adapt and redistribute this content.
Overview
To examine mechanisms for optimizing openly licensed learning content to address the challenges and opportunities posed by emerging technologies and AI, UNESCO organized the 3rd World Open Educational Resources Congress: “Digital Public Goods: Open Solutions and AI for Inclusive Access to Knowledge”. The Congress was hosted by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge MBRF) and the United Arab Emirates Authorities in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 19 to 20 November 2024.
The deliberations of this Congress aimed to identify how the implementation of this United Nations normative instrument on OER, the 2019 Recommendation, could contribute to the United Nations Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, in line with Commitment 7 of Our Common Agenda, to “improve digital cooperation”. In particular, the Congress aimed to contribute to the Global Digital Compact by putting forward targeted actions to promote the digital commons as a public good, drawing on the implementation of the 2019 Recommendation.
The objectives of the 3rd World OER Congress were to:
• share best practices and innovations in the implementation of the 2019 Recommendation in the five years since its adoption;
• identify strategies for supporting the implementation of the 2019 Recommendation to meet emerging challenges;
• identify collaborative mechanisms to mobilize more stakeholders to implement the 2019 Recommendation, and to expand access to quality, free, accessible, openly licensed learning resources in support of the Global Digital Compact and the Transforming Education Summit 2023 Call to Action.
The Dubai Declaration on OER was formally adopted on 20 November 2024. This document will serve as a roadmap for governments, institutions and other stakeholders to strengthen their commitments to OER and to ensure that digital public goods are central to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. This outcome document calls for concrete actions to expand the use of OER in educational systems, emphasizing the importance of using AI for more inclusivity, equity and sustainability. It also outlines steps for enhancing the quality of OER content, building the capacity of stakeholders, and fostering international cooperation in the creation and dissemination of OER.
With a strong commitment to openness, inclusivity, and equity, the Dubai Declaration on OER outlines concrete strategies to expand access to knowledge and learning opportunities while ensuring AI integration remains ethical, transparent, and aligned with the principles of open education.
During the 3rd UNESCO World OER Congress, 15 breakout sessions took place, featuring over 45 presentations. These sessions focused on the key Action Areas outlined in the OER Recommendation, covering topics such as emerging technologies, innovations, strategies, and mechanisms to mobilize more stakeholders.
The following presentations are linked to each Action Area of the Recommendation. They are available for consultation, download and sharing.