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11/20/24, 9:14 AM Latifa bint Mohammed inaugurates 3rd UNESCO World OER Congress in Dubai - Arts & culture - Emirates24|7
During a panel discussion titled ‘Harnessing OER and Generative AI for Digital Inclusion,’ experts delved into the potential of AI and
OER to address global challenges, with topics ranging from promoting gender parity in education to leveraging AI for inclusivity.

The session was chaired by Dr Colin de la Higuera, Unesco Chair in Open Educational Resources, Université of Nantes, France.
Panellists included Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN
Women and Founder of the Umlambo Foundation, South Africa, who highlighted open solutions for achieving gender parity; Seizo
Onoe, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), who discussed
AI’s role in standardisation for digital inclusion; and Kevin Chan, Director for Global Policy Campaign Strategies at Meta Platforms,
Canada, who emphasised the key role of open AI in supporting language inclusion efforts.

Another panel discussion titled ‘The Value Proposition for Openly Licensed Learning Content,’ chaired by Dr Jane Frances Agbu,
Advisor Higher Education, Commonwealth of Learning, highlighted the innovative applications of OER and shared global best
practices.

During the session, Dr Tawfik Jelassi shed light on the 2019 recommendation for OER’s vision for the future, while Anna Tumadóttir,
CEO of Creative Commons, Iceland, highlighted the role of open licensing in the future of education. Mucktarr M.Y. Darboe, Permanent
Secretary from The Gambia, presented innovative applications of OER in his country.

Building on this, Tuula Yrjölä, Finland’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the UAE, shared insights into the Finnish OER
Library and its pivotal role in advancing openly licensed learning content. Concluding the discussion, Dr Johanna Börsch-Supan,
Director General for General Education, Vocational Training, and Lifelong Learning at Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and
Research, highlighted Germany’s national OER strategy through video conferencing.

In addition, the event featured two breakout sessions focused on implementing the 2019 Recommendation on OER. The first centred

on Action Areas 1 and 2, designed to enhance capacity building and policy development aligned with UNESCO’s vision for Open
Educational Resources.

The sessions provided a platform for in-depth discussions on key issues identified during the 2023 First Consultation of this normative
instrument. Emphasising inclusivity, participants addressed the unique needs of Africa, least developed countries (LDC), Small Island
Developing States (SIDS), youth, indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups.

Action Area 1 focused on capacity building to strengthen the foundations of OER initiatives. Room A’s discussions centred on
establishing and optimising OER repositories and providing targeted training. Room B explored strategies for OER’s digital skills
development. Meanwhile, Room C emphasised the significance of mapping open solutions ecosystems in the OER landscape.

Action Area 2 addressed creating and refining policies to support OER adoption and sustainability. Room D delved into critical topics
such as data protection, privacy, and the ethical use of openly licensed content. In Room E, participants examined the role of

governmental and institutional incentives in crafting robust policy frameworks that foster the growth and integration of OER.

The second breakout session covered Action Areas 3 and 4, which focused on enhancing quality, accessibility, and sustainability in
OER. These sessions aimed to address critical challenges and explore innovative solutions in alignment with the priorities identified
during the 2023 First Consultation.

The discussions highlighted the importance of promoting gender equality and addressing the needs of Africa, LDCs, Small Island
Developing States (SIDS), and vulnerable groups, such as youth and indigenous communities.

Sessions under Action Area 3 emphasised inclusive access to high-quality OER. In Room A, participants discussed strategies to
enhance accessibility for people of determination in low-bandwidth environments. Room B focused on establishing quality assurance

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