2024 UNESCO Regional Symposium on Open Science

Efforts to democratize science originated in academia and gradually evolved into the recent United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Recommendation on Open Science, triggered by the need to provide access to scientific information during the global COVID-19 crisis. The UNESCO Recommendation resulting from an inclusive, transparent and multi-stakeholder consultative process, was adopted at the 41st session of the UNESCO's General Conference, in November 2021. The Recommendation presents a common definition of Open Science, its fundamental values and guiding principles, as well as guidelines for priority areas of action. In his presentation, Mohamad Mostafa emphasized the importance of supporting open research infrastructure and the value of integrating various persistent identifiers into research workflows. This presentation was delivered in person at the UNESCO Democratizing Science Regional Symposium on Open Science, themed "Implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science in the Arab Region." The symposium was organized by UNESCO and the Arab League of Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and hosted at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, from November 28–29, 2024.