Paris (FR), February 2012 - The First World OER Congress will be held 20-22 June 2012 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. Organized in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the Congress aims to influence educational planning worldwide and to encourage governments to support the development and use of open educational resources.
The specific objectives of the Congress are to:
As part of an extensive global consultation process, the Congress will be preceded by six regional Policy Forums for ministers and officials in the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Arab States.
ICDE has been invited by UNESCO to cooperate in the framework of the Congress. The ICDE Executive Committee has accepted the invitation, and a partnership for the 2012 World OER Congress has been established. In its first stages, ICDE has consulted with regional associations and organizations within open and distance learning to secure their input to the process.
UNESCO and the Commonwealth of Learning are organizing an Africa OER Policy Forum in Pretoria, South Africa from 21-22 February in the lead up to the World OER Congress.
Help is sought in identifying a good number of Francophone OER experts and practitioners as well as Francophone government representatives who have developed drafts, actually enacted policies, or have shown great commitment to enacting OER policies.
Through the generous support of the Hewlett Foundation (USA), the Commonwealth of Learning may be able to provide funding for selected Francophone experts or government representatives to attend the Forum.
For further information, please contact Abel Caine, Programme Specialist for Open Educational Resources at UNESCO.
