Realizing the Potential of Open for Equitable, Resilient Recovery

Open access and open science more broadly have great potential to accelerate the research necessary to deliver on the SDGs, as well as to place high quality information into the hands of citizens, helping them take better decisions. Yet openness alone does not guarantee equity in access to and use of information to support development. Furthermore, the abundance of free information sources online can all too often lead to confusion and the rapid spread of misinformation. The COVID-19 pandemic has only underlined the urgency of finding solutions. This side-event will therefore explore the issues which governments and other stakeholders will need to resolve in order to realise the potential of open access and open science as accelerators of strong, sustainable and equitable development. Speakers include (with biographies at bottom): Omo Oaiya, Chief Strategy Officer, WACREN, Ghana Ellen Tise, Senior Director, Library and Information Services, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Jonathan Hernandez Perez, R