Strengthening International Cooperation: World Development Information Day 2026
For many decades, the United Nations (UN) has brought the world’s countries together with the goal of improving the worldwide standard of living and creating stability for all of humanity. Finding solutions to global development challenges relies heavily on strong international cooperation that can lead to concrete progress and sustained improvement in wellbeing. The spreading of knowledge and data can support action for global development challenges such as poverty, education, and inequality, which directly serve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To draw attention to global development challenges and the necessity of international cooperation, the UN General Assembly established 24 October as World Development Information (WDI) Day in 1972. Coinciding with United Nations Day and the adoption of the International Development Strategy, WDI Day aims to prioritise and improve the spread of information and mobilise public opinion to support economic and social progress.
MDPI’s mission to foster open scientific exchange across disciplines through Open Access (OA) strongly aligns with the aim of WDI Day. Making research accessible through the OA publishing model promotes the dissemination of knowledge and can lead to more global awareness of the development issues facing humanity.
This article takes a closer look at the importance of WDI Day and how MDPI supports researchers in strengthening international cooperation.
Empowering global development
As the world’s leading fully OA publisher, MDPI is proud to contribute towards the global effort of promoting international cooperation for development.
The Open Access Link
OA publishing acts as a vital bridge that removes paywalls and other barriers to research and allows scientific knowledge and data to move freely across borders, informing real-world solutions to development problems.
Through a range of initiatives, including a catalogue of more than 500 diverse journals that span numerous disciplines, MDPI supports countless research communities to access knowledge and contribute towards OA publishing.
As scientific research and technological advances develop exponentially, full international cooperation is crucial to translate findings into practical solutions to global development challenges.
Unrestricted knowledge access
There are numerous benefits that come with making critical scientific outputs instantly available, including:
- Wider access to scientific knowledge
- The acceleration of technological innovation
- Greater opportunities for global research collaboration
Unrestricted access to knowledge is incredibly valuable for learning and innovation. Research has found that as scholarly communications become more rooted in the digital world, OA publishing has become increasingly important to research communities.
Making research easier to discover, share and potentially build on through OA opens the door to greater innovation, therefore working towards solutions that can have real-world impact.
MDPI Sustainability Foundation
The goals of WDI Day strongly align with the UN’s 17 SDGs, which provide a global framework for addressing development challenges and creating a more sustainable world.
The MDPI Sustainability Foundation, established in 2012, is dedicated to fostering societally relevant research and driving global efforts towards a sustainable future. Acting as a catalyst for cross-disciplinary research and open knowledge sharing, the Foundation is built on the belief that research must transcend academic boundaries in order to tackle real-world problems.
The Foundation has spearheaded several impactful initiatives aimed at recognising and amplifying sustainability research worldwide, including annual world sustainability forums and the following sustainability awards:
- World Sustainability Award – celebrating individuals who have made significant contributions towards sustainability research
- Emerging Sustainability Leader Award – recognising early career researchers (ECRs) for outstanding contributions to the field
Each award supports the academic community to strive for excellence and contribute impactful research and data.
Working towards a more informed world
Open Access is a crucial contributor to the mission behind WDI Day. MDPI proudly contributes to global knowledge, with more than 500 Open Access journals and numerous other initiatives contributing towards knowledge sharing and global equity.
To support WDI Day 2026, MDPI is proud to be hosting a free webinar to showcase the groundbreaking work of scholars who use research to bridge knowledge divides and drive sustainable solutions. The webinar will take place on 23 October 2026 at 2:30pm EDT, 20:30 CEST, and participants will receive a certificate of attendance. The webinar will also be recorded for those that are unable to attend the live session – register for free to be informed when the recording is available.
MDPI encourages researchers and their communities to engage with WDI Day and explore its significance for global development and innovation.
See below a list of MDPI journals participating in WDI Day 2026:
