IGF 2023 DC-OER The Transformative Role of OER in Digital Inclusion

Time
Tuesday, 10th October, 2023 (02:00 UTC) - Tuesday, 10th October, 2023 (03:30 UTC)
Room
Room I
DC
Dynamic Coalition on Open Educational Resources

Round Table - 90 Min

Subtheme(s)

Affordable Access
Skills Building for Basic and Advanced Technologies (Meaningful Access)

Description

The UNESCO Open Educational Resources (OER) Dynamic Coalition, which became an official Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Dynamic Coalition in March 2023, aims to support the widespread adoption and use of OER as specified in the UNESCO 2019 Recommendation on OER. This Dynamic Coalition supports the use of digital public goods, namely openly licensed content, for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It works with Member States, the United Nations system, the private sector and other stakeholders to promote open educational content that adhere to privacy and other applicable international and domestic national laws, standards and best practices so that benefits of increased Internet connectivity can be experienced for learning in an inclusive manner. OER are defined in the UNESCO 2019 Recommendation on OER as 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, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others. Open license refers to a license that respects the intellectual property rights of the copyright owner and provides permissions granting the public the rights to access, re-use, re-purpose, adapt and redistribute educational materials. This session will examine the role of OER in addressing the challenges of global digital divides and supporting inclusive access to knowledge for learning, particularly as digital platforms for learning become more ubiquitous. This session will highlight how the work of the UNESCO OER Dynamic Coalition supports inclusive access to digital knowledge in the five areas of action of the UNESCO 2019 Recommendation on OER: (i) building capacity of stakeholders to create, access, re-use, adapt and redistribute OER;  (ii) developing supportive policy; (iii) encouraging inclusive and equitable quality OER; (iv) nurturing the creation of sustainability models for OER, and (v) facilitating international cooperation. Discussions will include a presentation of best practices on the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on OER in Francophone West Africa through the development of national OER strategies. This session will also trigger critical policy discussions on 4 domains: 1. How to strengthen capacities for sharing and creation of OER, via a multistakeholder process, with a view to advance digital inclusion?; 2 What is the key role of libraries in ensuring that OER are both accessible and accessed?; 3. How can we work better together to use the power of OER to accelerate progress towards the SDGs?; and 4. How can the UNESCO 2019 Recommendation on OER contribute towards the operationalization of the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and feed into the Global Digital Compact, which highlights the importance of an “open” internet? This session will be in an interactive, multistakeholder panel format with moderation for participation from onsite and remote international and national experts. The expected outcome of this session will be to support the identification of priority initiatives by OER stakeholders that can accelerate sustainable development; a collective willingness to support the implementation of best practices from the OER Dynamic Coalition members; and to support a policy debate in the above-mentioned key areas, with a view to guiding the future activities of this Dynamic Coalition.

The session is designed as a panel discussion and participants will be encouraged to intervene by using the Zoom Q & A function. After the opening remarks, each speaker will have a three-minute slot to reply to a question from the moderator. Our onsite and online moderators will facilitate the interaction between speakers and attendees by using the chat and polling questions. If the platform allows, we are planning to use mentimeter (https://www.mentimeter.com) to make the session productive, inclusive and fun. At the end of the session, an open discussion is envisaged where both online and onsite attendees can participate. Finally, we should have identified a few priorities to address and a few very concrete actions to take.

Organizers

Ms. Zeynep Varoglu, Senior Programme Specialist, Section for Universal Access to Information and Digital Inclusion, Communication and Information Sector (UNESCO) Mr. Gašper Hrastelj, Secretary General of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO Dr. Patrick Paul Walsh, Director, SDG Academy, UN Sustainable Solutions Network (UNSSDN) Dr. Lisa Petridis, CEO and founder of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) Dr. Stephen Wyber, Director, Policy and Advocacy, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Mr. Neil Butcher, OER Strategist, OER Africa Dr. Cable Green, Director for Open Knowledge, Creative Commons

Speakers

Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO Dr. Marielza Oliveira, Director, Division for Digital Inclusion, and Policies and Digital Transformation, and Secretary of the Information for All Program (IFAP), Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO Mr. Michel Kenmoe, Communication and Information Advisor, UNESCO Dakar Mr. Neil Butcher, OER Strategist, OER Africa  Dr. Tel Amiel, Adjunct Professor and UNESCO Chair in Distance Education, University of Brasilia Dr. Lisa Petridis, CEO and founder of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) Dr. Stephen Wyber, Director, Policy and Advocacy, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Dr. Melinda Bandalaria, Chancellor and Professor, University of the Phillipines Open University, Philippines Dr. Cable Green, Director for Open Knowledge, Creative Commons Dr. Patrick Paul Walsh, SDG Academy, UN Sustainable Solutions Network (UNSSDN) Dr. Mona Larroussi, Director, Organisation International de la Francophonie Me. Moussa Bocar Thiam, Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, Senegal Mr. Gašper Hrastelj, Secretary General of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO

Onsite Moderator

Ms. Zeynep Varoglu, Senior Programme Specialist, Section for Universal Access to Information and Digital Inclusion, Communication and Information Sector (UNESCO)

Online Moderator

Ms. Aissatou Dabo, Consultant, Section for Universal Access to Information and Digital Inclusion, Communication and Information Sector (UNESCO)

Rapporteur

Mr. Neil Butcher, OER Strategist, OER Africa

SDGs

4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
16.10
17. Partnerships for the Goals

Targets: In line with the UN Secretary General’s report on Our Common Agenda, UNESCO supports the implementation of Member States-adopted standards on openly licensed digital education tools through the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (OER) 2019. UNESCO supports the widespread adoption and use of Open Education Resources and capacity-building regarding their access and use for an open, free and secure digital future for all in line with the Global Digital Compact. In this regard, the important role of OER as a digital public good was underscored at the UN Transforming Education Summit, and the implementation of this Recommendation is a key contribution to ensuring open solutions as a means to promote sustainability models and innovation.