Open Access (OA) initiatives are pivotal in democratizing knowledge, fostering research, and encouraging global collaboration. This paper highlights the progress of OA initiatives in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries, as designated by the World Health Organization. EMR countries have embraced OA to bridge the gap between high-income and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in healthcare and medicine. This is exemplified by initiatives like the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB), which provides Egyptians free access to extensive scientific publications, e-books, and multimedia resources from international publishers. EKB aims to democratize knowledge and cultivate learning, research, and innovation in Egypt. Qatar National Library (QNL) is another prime example, investing considerably in OA by providing access to international resources and databases. Through the Open Access Author Fund (OAAF), QNL covers Article Processing Charges (APC) for Qatar-based researchers publishing in OA journals and supports the development of a knowledge-based society in Qatar. In the United Arab Emirates, the national policy on Open Educational Resources (OER) facilitates access to knowledge by encouraging the use and sharing of OER in education and research. However, despite these strides, challenges still need to be addressed, including limited funding, lack of infrastructure, and low OA awareness among researchers and institutions. Moreover, a unified regional strategy is necessary to ensure effective OA implementation.

© 2023 The Author(s), licensee HBKU Press.

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2023-06-27

2023-07-19

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