Table 1
Key Aspects of UN Instruments on OER and OEP.
| FRAMEWORK | GOVERNANCE | POLICY | PRACTICE |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNESCO Paris OER Declaration (2012) | Urges national frameworks to support OER; promotes international cooperation on OER governance. | Recommends open licensing policies and integration of OER into national education strategies. | Supports educator capacity building, research on OER impact, and development of interoperable standards. |
| UNESCO Ljubljana OER Action Plan (2017) | Advocates multi-stakeholder governance including government, institutions, and civil society; promotes public-private partnerships. | Calls for national and institutional OER policies ensuring inclusive and sustainable implementation. | Emphasises teacher training, innovative pedagogies, and adoption in diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. |
| UNESCO OER Recommendation (2019a) | Establishes a framework for aligning OER policy at national and international levels; highlights sustainable funding models. | Recommends integration of OER into inclusive education policies and the creation of funding mechanisms. | Focuses on building capacity for OER creation and adaptation; promotes peer collaboration and robust monitoring systems. |
| UN Road Map for Digital Cooperation – Digital Public Goods Agenda (2020) | Positions OER within global digital public goods; supports open, cross-sector governance models. | Calls for publicly funded educational content to be openly accessible; promotes interoperability, transparency, and ethical AI. | Encourages open knowledge, open data, and inclusive digital tools; supports digital and AI literacy for educators. |
| UNESCO Dubai Declaration on OER (2024) | Expands OER governance under broader digital public goods governance; prioritises responsible AI in education. | Urges integration of OER into AI and digital strategies; promotes policies for equity, resilience, and accessibility. | Supports AI-enabled OER tools, inclusive digital learning environments, and interdisciplinary research on AI, OER, and Open Science. |
Table 2
Governance Priority, Strategic Action and Purpose and Policy Relevance.
| GOVERNANCE PRIORITY | STRATEGIC ACTION | PURPOSE AND POLICY RELEVANCE |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Understanding of OEP | Bridge theory and practice in OEP. | Align research frameworks with technology-enhanced pedagogy to foster meaningful openness in teaching and learning. |
| Define and communicate conditions for effective OEP. | Promote clarity around availability, accessibility, licensing, and adaptability of resources (e.g., as stated in the Paris OER Declaration, 2012). | |
| Support and Capacity Building for Educators | Provide professional development and institutional incentives. | Empower educators to engage in OEP through recognition, training, and ongoing support. |
| Cultivate a culture of openness in institutions. | Embed openness as a shared pedagogical value that benefits all learners, not only those at risk of exclusion. | |
| Linking OEP to Equity and Inclusion | Promote critical and inclusive pedagogies. | Ensure that OEP address inequalities and do not replicate existing digital divides. |
| Support responsible innovation in digital education. | Guide OEP adoption through ethical frameworks that ensure technology serves educational and societal equity. | |
| Establish open governance frameworks. | Enable participatory and transparent decision-making for resilient, rights-based educational ecosystems. |
Figure 1
Spectrum of Open Practices.
Table 3
Global Initiatives and OEP.
| ELEMENT | SUMMARY | CONNECTION TO OEP |
|---|---|---|
| UN Global Digital Compact | Sets shared principles for an open, inclusive, and secure digital future. | Supports OER as digital public goods advancing global education equity. |
| Digital Public Goods (DPGs) | Open solutions that promote equity and shared knowledge. | OER function as DPGs, enabling unrestricted, equitable learning access. |
| Open Educational Resources (OER) | Freely licensed educational materials for reuse and adaptation. | Ensure inclusive access to quality learning resources. |
| ROAM-X Framework | Promotes reuse, openness, accessibility, multilingualism, and quality. | Reinforces inclusive, adaptable, and high-quality open practices. |
| Open Licensing | Enables free use, adaptation, and sharing of content. | Facilitates equitable and collaborative creation of OER. |
| Inclusive Governance | Advocates participatory and transparent decision-making. | Ensures OEP reflect diverse voices and needs. |
| Educational Equity | Aims to remove barriers to quality education. | OER and OEP advance fairness in access and outcomes. |
| Lifelong Learning | Supports continuous learning throughout life. | OEP expand flexible access to learning across life stages. |
| Global Collaboration | Encourages international cooperation and resource sharing. | OEP promote cross-cultural exchange and mutual benefit. |
| Security & Trust | Ensures safe, ethical digital environments. | Builds trust in open platforms and protects learners’ rights. |
Figure 2
Sustainable Open Education Framework.
Table 4
Key Elements of OEP to Foster Capacity Building and Literacies and Skills.
| DIGITAL PUBLIC GOOD | PURPOSE | KEY LITERACIES AND SKILLS |
|---|---|---|
| OER | Provide free, adaptable learning content; foster collaboration; reduce costs. | Digital literacy, collaboration, critical thinking. |
| Open Access to Scientific Information (OA) | Ensure unrestricted access to research; support knowledge sharing and academic inquiry. | Research skills, information literacy, analytical thinking. |
| Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) | Enable customisation of tools; support innovation; reduce software costs. | Coding, algorithmic thinking, technical proficiency, problem-solving. |
| Open Data | Provide accessible datasets; promote transparency and data-informed decision-making. | Data and AI literacy, statistical analysis, research design. |
Table 5
Ethical and Societal Dimensions of OEP in Policy and Practice.
| OEP DIMENSION | POLICY & PRACTICE FOCUS | ETHICAL & SOCIETAL CONTRIBUTION |
|---|---|---|
| OER & Open Teaching | Encourage student participation in co-creating and refining educational content. | Promotes collaborative knowledge; reduces cost barriers; enhances agency. |
| Open Teaching & Collaboration | Use enabling technologies to support transdisciplinary and co-creative student projects. | Supports global citizenship; prepares learners for collaborative knowledge economies. |
| Open Collaboration & Assessment | Design real-world, community-engaged assessments with external stakeholders. | Validates lived experience and informal knowledge; strengthens public engagement. |
| Open Assessment & OER | Reimagine assessment as knowledge creation (e.g., blogs, open articles). | Links learning to social contribution; shifts assessment to formative, inclusive practice. |
| Critical & Digital Literacies | Build skills in data ethics, AI use, information literacy, and source evaluation. | Prepares students for a datafied world; fosters ethical engagement with technology and knowledge production. |
| Capacity Building | Provide training, incentives, and networks for educators to adopt and sustain open practices. | Develops an open mindset; promotes equitable and inclusive pedagogical innovation. |