An updated version of the UNESCO proposal for a recommendation for Open Educational Resources (OER), is now available. This version is based on the views of UNESCO member countries, so even from my own country Sweden, which was sent to UNESCO in January 2019. I have been involved myself as an OER expert, but also as an expert on behalf of the ICDE OER Advocacy Committee
The proposal will now be discussed at an intergovernmental expert meeting at the end of May. Thereafter, a decision to adopt a recommendation will be taken by UNESCO's general conference in November 2019. Will be of interest to follow the necessary strategies and further implementation in Sweden, but of course eve worldwide.
Conclusions in four points
Executive Summary
1. This document is prepared further to 39C/Resolution 44 of the UNESCO General Conference, and a follow-up to ‘the Study on International Collaboration on Open Educational Resources (OER) (201 EX/Decision 9), which concluded that a Recommendation is best suited to further the development and expansion of OER in the interests of Member States achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4.
2. The document sets the context by outlining recent events for mainstreaming OER in education systems, as well as current trends and potential for further applications in OER. It further highlights that there is a global interest in OER to be used by the international community to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
3. It outlines the outputs of the 2nd World OER Congress (18-20 September 2017, Ljubljana, Slovenia): the Ljubljana OER Action Plan and Ministerial Statement.
4. It further describes the outputs of preparatory activities for the 2nd World OER Congress, namely: the six regional consultations, global online consultation of the Ljubljana OER Action Plan 2017, and global online survey and the OER Global Report 2017
5. It reasserts that a Recommendation is a best-suited instrument by which UNESCO can promote international collaboration in this area, as a Recommendation is flexible enough to keep pace with the dynamic ICT-driven field of OER.
Source: the Director-General’s Circular letter (CL/4273) regarding the Revised Draft Preliminary Report and Draft Recommendation concerning Open Educational Resources