UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

10/27/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/27/2021 08:13

West Africa and the Sahel: UNESCO's commitment on OER for development

The Ministerial debates highlighted diverse sharing initiatives and strategies for harnessing the potential of OER to support inclusive and quality education. They were inspiring and encouraged innovation, particularly in the digital age, to facilitate the acquisition of digital skills and knowledge by young people. The Ministers at the event underscored the need for the development, adoption and use of OER in line with the UNESCO Sahel Action Plan for OER adopted in December 2020.

The Forum is part of the implementation of the OER Recommendation in the Sahel and has also allowed Ministers of Education from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal and other stakeholders, including the representative of the Ministry of Education of France to recall their commitment to the operationalization of the 2019 OER Recommendation.

Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, in his opening remarks underscored that OER promotes innovation and contributes to meet the knowledge and skill needs of youth while enabling the achievement of quality inclusive education.