CHARTER OF

THE WORLD DIGITAL EDUCATION ALLIANCE (WDEA)

PREFACE

In today's world, we live in a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, where digital technology is increasingly becoming a driving force that fundamentally changes how human society thinks, organizes, and operates. It is leading the way in reshaping various sectors and providing significant opportunities for innovation, reshaping business and social models, and driving development, even in education. This transformation brings about challenging questions to the foundations of education: What is the purpose of education in the 21st century, and how should technology be integrated into the education system to serve all stakeholders? 

 

The United Nations Education Transformation Summit held in September 2022 highlighted that global education is facing severe challenges and a learning crisis. There is an urgent need for educational reform. The summit emphasized fully harnessing digital transformation to ensure high-quality education and lifelong learning for all, with a focus on the most marginalized groups. Most participating countries included digital learning as a key content in their National Statements of Commitment. China stated in the National Statement that we will further implement the National Strategic Action for Education Digitalization, enrich the supply of digital educational resources, build an extensive and open learning environment, and expedite resources sharing among learning platforms of different types and at different levels, advance the integration of new technology and education and learning, to accelerate the digital transformation of education.

 

In this context, the "World Digital Education Conference" held in Beijing in February 2023 launched the Digital Education Development Initiative for global partners. It called for the international community to strengthen policy dialogues and communication, promote infrastructure connectivity, advance digital resource sharing, enhance integrated application exchanges, cooperate in capacity building, and establish and improve cooperative mechanisms. This initiative aims to jointly drive the digital transformation of education and achieve the Education 2030 Agenda. The initiative was officially established as the World Digital Education Alliance, at the World Digital Education Conference held in Shanghai in January 2024. It was established to actively explore international cooperation and exchange mechanisms in digital education, consolidate global educational development efforts, and jointly create a new space, ecosystem, and landscape for smart education.

CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1 Name of the Alliance

The name of the Alliance is the World Digital Education Alliance (hereinafter called WDEA) in English and 世界数字教育联盟 in Chinese.

Article 2  Nature of the Alliance

The WDEA serves as a vital platform for the international community to strengthen dialogue and exchanges, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and promote high-quality development in digital education. The WDEA represents a comprehensive, pragmatic, and inclusive high-quality partnership in the global digital education sector.  

Article 3 Vision

The WDEA aims to establish an international cooperation platform for high-quality development in digital education. It will focus on the core task of promoting the digital transformation of education, establishing a long-term mechanism for international exchange and cooperation in digital education. The WDEA has the vision to encourage the full participation of all stakeholders in the governance of global digital education. It seeks to promote the development of digital education and the digital transformation of education, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. 

Article 4 Mission

The WDEA operates on the principles of "voluntarism, equality, and mutual benefit for a win-win situation." Its goal is to enhance the common welfare of humanity. It is dedicated to establishing a global partnership in digital education, strengthening policy dialogue, information exchange, resource openness, and application promotion. The WDEA aims to share experiences and best practices in the field of digital education among all stakeholders. By doing so, it encourages open standards and open source collaboration, and it seeks to foster a meaningful integration of digital technology and education, working collaboratively to build a vibrant and resilient global digital education community.  

CHAPTER II SCOPE OF COOPERATION

Article 5 Assisting WDEA Members in Developing Digital Education

The WDEA will publish annual reports to share the latest policies and practices of digital education at the national, regional, and school levels with members. It will develop frameworks/guidelines as well as evaluation and monitoring tools, share best practices, and advance the digital transformation of education. By conducting leading international projects, it will offer members public products and services to jointly build and share high-quality digital education resources. It will establish digital training centers to enhance the digital literacy of teachers and students, and collaborate on digital education capacity-building projects for women, girls, and people with disabilities. 

Article 6 Building an International Dialogue Platform

Organize high-level policy dialogues and academic conferences to establish a mechanism for digital education dialogue with international influence and appeal. 

Article 7 Promoting the Sharing of Digital Education Resources

Gather a selection of high-quality digital educational resources  aimed at creating a digital education public platform accessible to everyone on an equal basis. Improve the alignment of digital education standards, data integration, and the quality of curriculum construction. This task will promote the interconnectivity and co-construction of high-quality educational resources worldwide. 

Article 8  Conducting Thematic Research on Digital Education

The WDEA will conduct a series of research studies in digital education to encourage policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and technical experts from various countries to publish high-quality articles. These articles should timely reflect developments in national policy and cutting-edge academic research in the field.  

Article 9 Promoting the Sharing of Practical Experience of Digital Education

The WDEA will conduct global digital education monitoring and social experiment research. It will also collect, evaluate, and compile global digital education demonstration cases. The WDEA will enhance the exchange of best practices in the application of digital education, providing reference experiences for the development of global digital education, especially in developing countries. This effort aims to promote the construction of a global digital education community of shared destiny and to jointly create a bright future for education. 

CHAPTER III MEMBERS OF THE WDEA

Article 10 Membership

All WDEA members or their affiliated units should be legal entities. Members should align with the vision and mission of the WDEA and possess relevant expertise and capabilities. Both organization members and individual members are welcome to join WDEA to contribute to the development of digital education.

Members of the WDEA include, and are not limited to, the following bodies:

1. Educational entities, including K-12 schools, technical and vocational education and training schools/centers, universities, and colleges.

2. Relevant organizations and research institutions, including inter-governmental organizations, international organizations, and think tanks.

3. Relevant enterprises, including general technology companies and educational technology companies.

Article 11 Obligations of Members

Members should fulfil the following obligations:

1. Abide by the WDEA Charter and the resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly Meeting and the Executive Council .

2. Safeguard the reputation, rights and interests of the WDEA.

3. Participate actively in various activities organized by the WDEA to promote the development of the WDEA.

4. Leverage strengths to collaboratively undertake cooperation activities (refer to Chapter 2).

Article 12 Rights of Members

Members shall enjoy the following rights:

1. All members have equal status and exercise supervision. All members shall have the rights to vote and to be elected, among other rights.

2. Share information and resources of the WDEA.

3. Obtain services provided by the WDEA and apply to host activities.

4. Receive priority access to the outcomes of the cooperation activities (refer to Chapter 2).

Article 13 Application for Membership

New members must follow the process of voluntarily submitting application, preliminary reviewing by the Secretariat, and further reviewing by the Executive Council. The Secretariat shall collect the applications for joining the WDEA, and process and forward the applications to the Executive Council to review qualifications and eligibility. The application materials include an application letter signed by the organization's leadership, the qualifications of the organization (licenses, introductions, etc.) and a recommendation letter from an active member. 

Article 14 Withdrawal from Membership

Members who intend to withdraw from the WDEA shall submit a written application to the Secretariat 30 days in advance. Upon receipt of the application, the Secretariat shall inform The Executive Council for approval.

CHAPTER IV ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND ROLES

Article 15 WDEA Organizational Structure

The organizational and management structure of the WDEA consists of the General Assembly Meeting, Executive Council, Expert Advisory Committee and Secretariat.

Article 16 WDEA General Assembly Meeting

The General Assembly Meeting is the highest decision-making body of the WDEA responsible for forming the Executive Council and making decisions on major issues. The meeting shall be attended by the leader or representative of a member organization.

Article 17 Main Functions of General Assembly Meeting

1. Elect or recommend the members of the Executive Council.

2. Review work reports and other special reports.

3. Guide the WDEA in achieving its objectives and mission.

4. Ratify any review or amendment of this Charter. 

Article 18 Executive Council

The Executive Council shall be recommended or elected by the General Assembly Meeting and shall serve as the governing body of the General Assembly Meeting, leading the WDEA in its collaborative contents during the recess of the General Assembly Meeting, and shall be responsible to the General Assembly Meeting. Each term of the Executive Council lasts for four years. The Chairperson of the Executive Council serves a term of four years per tenure and may serve consecutive terms. The Executive Council shall hold at least one meeting per year; in special circumstances, meetings can be held via correspondence. Special meetings can be convened based on the proposal of the Chairperson of the WDEA. 

Article 19 Main Functions of Executive Council

The main functions of the Executive Council are:

1. Review and amend the proposed articles of the WDEA Charter.

2. Determine the WDEA’s development strategy, and submit work reports and work plans.

3. Elect or recommend the chairperson’s unit.

4. Review the qualifications of new members.

5. Make decisions on cooperation projects, budgetary matters, and major initiatives.

6. Determine the cooperation projects of the WDEA and the mechanism of its organizational promotion.

7. The Executive Council meetings shall be presided over by the Secretary-General.

Article 20 Expert Advisory Committee

The Expert Advisory Committee of the Alliance shall be composed of renowned experts, scholars, and industry representatives in the field of digital education, nominated with the support of member organizations.

Article 21 Main Functions of Expert Advisory Committee

1.Provide strategic advice and professional consultation to the Alliance;

2.Participate in the evaluation and review of major projects and activities of the Alliance;

3.Promote academic and technological innovation within the Alliance;

4.Support the promotion of the Alliance and contribute to enhancing its international influence.

Article 22 WDEA Secretariat

The WDEA operates under a system where the Secretary-General is responsible under the leadership of the Executive Council. The WDEA Secretariat is responsible for the daily operations of the WDEA, including the implementation of decisions made by the General Assembly Meeting and Executive Council. 

Article 23 Main Functions of WDEA Secretariat

The main functions of the WDEA Secretariat are:

1.Coordinate and ensure the smooth operation of the WDEA.

2.Promote, manage and coordinate the cooperation projects and other work.

3.Preparation and holding of the General Assembly Meeting and the Executive Council meetings.

4.Collect applications of members to join or withdraw from the WDEA.

5.Report to the Executive Council regarding the progress of the WDEA.

6.Carry out other tasks assigned by the General Assembly Meeting and the Executive Council.

Article 24 Sustainability

Funding for the WDEA’s cooperative projects is raised by the specific project sponsors and WDEA may accept donations from society. Similarly, the expenses for meetings organized by the WDEA are raised by the hosts and may also accept societal donations. The Secretariat will help organize the WDEA events, but members are responsible for their own expenses. Members of the WDEA can choose to contribute voluntarily to the WDEA’s work and collaborate on fundraising. WDEA encourages mutual support among members.

Article 25 Dissolution and Termination

If the WDEA dissolves on its own or needs to be terminated due to other reasons, this issue shall be discussed by the memberships. The termination resolution shall be approved by the General Assembly Meeting.

CHAPTER V RULES OF DISCUSSION PROCEDURE FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING

Article 26 Meeting Notification and Materials Distribution

The Secretariat shall notify members of the alliance to attend General Assembly Meeting at least 30 days in advance and distribute the meeting materials through effective means.

Article 27 Attendance and Proxy Rules

Each member organization shall designate one official representative to attend the General Assembly Meeting. If the designated representative is unable to attend, a proxy may be appointed in writing and notified to the Secretariat in advance. A member that neither attends the meeting nor submits a written opinion or delegates its voting rights to another attending representative shall be deemed to have waived its voting right for that meeting.

Article 28 Participation of Observers and Guests

Observers or guests may be invited to attend the meeting upon approval by the Secretariat and the host organization.

Article 29 Voting Rights and Decision-making Principle

The General Assembly Meeting shall follow the principle of democratic centralism. All members shall have equal voting rights, with each member organization entitled to one vote.

Article 30 Voting Procedures and Quorum for Resolutions

The General Assembly Meeting can only be convened if more than two-thirds of the representatives are present. Unless otherwise provided in this Charter, resolutions shall be adopted by a simple majority of the members present. Amendments to the Charter, the election of the Executive Council, and other significant matters shall require the approval of no less than two-thirds of the members present.

Article 31 Meeting Records and Publication of Resolutions

The Secretariat shall compile the meeting minutes and voting results, which shall be reviewed and signed by the Chairperson of the WDEA. Resolutions adopted through voting shall be circulated to all members and properly archived. 

CHAPTER VI RULES OF DISCUSSION PROCEDURE FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Article 32 Decision-making Mechanism of the Executive Council

The Executive Council shall follow the principle of democratic centralism. Decisions on major matters shall be valid only with the consent of more than half of the Executive Council members.

Article 33 Meeting Notification and Materials Distribution

The Secretariat shall notify all members of the Executive Council at least 30 days in advance and distribute the meeting materials through effective means.

Article 34 Attendance and Proxy Rules

Each member of the Executive Council shall designate one official representative to attend the Executive Council Meeting. If the designated representative is unable to attend, a proxy may be appointed in writing and notified to the Secretariat in advance. A member that neither attends the meeting nor submits a written opinion or delegates its voting rights to another attending representative of the Executive Council shall be deemed to have waived its voting right for that meeting.

Article 35 Attendance of Non-member Participants

Participants other than Executive Council members may attend the meeting upon decision by the Chairperson of the WDEA.

Article 36 Meeting Records and Publication of Resolutions

Meeting minutes shall be kept for all Executive Council meetings. Written resolutions shall be formulated for decisions made. A summary of meeting resolutions shall be recorded in official minutes, reviewed and signed by the Chairperson of the WDEA, and circulated to all members.

CHAPTER V SUPPLEMENTAL PROVISIONS

Article 37 Entry into Force

This draft charter shall come into effect only after being approved by The General Assembly Meeting of the WDEA. The final interpretation right of this Charter belongs to the WDEA.