A/HRC/32/37 knowledge, information and education accessible and in supporting the development of new skills.7 28. The digital revolution is taking place at a dazzling rate,8 as digital devices multiply learning pathways and diversify learning approaches. 9 29. Many countries and universities are keen to embrace the potential of information and communications technologies, as the Special Rapporteur witnessed during his recent visit to Fiji. A key element in the discussion of the implications of digital technology for educational institutions is the notion that universities no longer hold a monopoly on knowledge, as new actors, such as for-profit education institutions and other private providers, enter the field. 30. Massive open online courses provide an alternative path to higher education. Many universities worldwide are now offering online courses, either alone or in conjunction with a massive open online course provider. Many enthusiastic promoters of knowledge societies, networking and lifelong learning can dream today of a world converted into a giant classroom in which there are a few powerful global teachers and millions of assimilators of information and knowledge packages through the Internet. Similarly, open educational resources10 can harness the new possibility afforded by digital technology to address common educational challenges. As a result, the landscape of higher education is undergoing rapid transformations. IV. The digital divide 31. In spite of progress made, there are still inequalities in higher education, particularly in developing and least developed countries.11 32. In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, States recognized the importance of the spread of information and communications technologies and global interconnectedness, and stressed the need to bridge the digital divide and to develop knowledge societies.12 33. In the 1988 World Declaration on Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century: Vision and Action, the potential and the challenges of information and communications technologies were addressed, with a focus on quality and high standards and concern for 7 8 9 10 11 12 Broadband Commission for Digital Development, The State of Broadband 2014: Broadband for All (Geneva, 2014), chap. 4. John Morgan, “Universities challenged: the impact of digital technology on teaching and learning”, Educational Innovation Position Paper (September 2013), p. 13. UNESCO, Leveraging Information and Communication Technologies to Achieve the Post-2015 Education Goal: Report of the International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education (2015), p. 5. “Open educational resources” is a term that was coined at the UNESCO 2002 Forum on the Impact of Open Courseware for Higher Education in Developing Countries. It is defined as “teaching, learning and research materials in any medium, digital or otherwise, that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions” (see the 2012 Paris Open Educational Resources Declaration). See also OECD, Open Educational Resources: A Catalyst for Innovation (2015). “Online, open and flexible higher education for the future we want: from statements to action — equity, access and quality learning outcomes”, message adopted at the global high-level forum held in Paris from 9 to 11 June 2015. Available at www.icde.org/assets/WHAT_WE_DO/POLICY/parismessage13072015final.pdf. General Assembly resolution 70/1, para. 15. 7