The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) is the leading global membership organisation for the open and distance education community, and is open to institutions, educational authorities, commercial actors, and individuals. ICDE was founded in 1938 in Canada as the International Council for Correspondence Education and today has members from over 60 countries worldwide.

ICDE is an NGO in formal consultative relations with UNESCO and shares UNESCO’s key value – the universal right to education for all. ICDE further derives its position from the unique knowledge and experience of its members throughout the world in the development and use of new methodologies and emerging technologies.

ICDE’s report on Global Trends in Higher Education, Adult and Distance Learning developed during 2008 shows the high priority given to developments in OER and the importance of issues around quality in relation to these developments. ICDE established a task force to deal with the issue of OER which published its final report in December 2008. The concept of OER has become one of the most relevant issues in education throughout the world. ICDE’s members have a unique knowledge and experience to share, and ICDE states in its Strategic Plan that it will work to enhance OER in an international setting.