I will first look at the context of higher education and some of the initiatives that have been taken to democratise education. I will then bring you some examples of how OER are being harnessed to increase access, improve quality and cut the costs of education. I will then reflect on the recent phenomenon of Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs and consider whether these might democratise higher education. I will finally look at some key commitments that have been made by the global community to the development and use of OER and will conclude with some initiatives that could help us address these challenges and advance us towards democratising education through the use of OER.