It is a very great pleasure to introduce a new series to JL4D that focuses on the main leaders in distance education and online learning (ODeL) across the world. Articles will cover six areas: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, the Pacific, and South America and the Caribbean. This issue includes the first two contributions to the series, from Europe and the Pacific. // This issue of JL4D illustrates some key themes from very different perspectives. Teacher education features prominently: this includes the critical importance of quality teacher education to meet SDGs (Moon & Villet); involves teachers’ ability and willingness to use technologies such as mobile learning (Miglani and Awadhiya); and will also depend on how easy it is for teachers to learn from any technology available, whether print-based or not (Simui et al). // New technologies are also crucial: they can make a major contribution to the professional development of teachers (Moon & Villet) and increase access in Commonwealth Asian countries (Miglani & Awadyiha). Informal online learning can also empower learners and increase their motivation to study (Bonk & Lee). // All articles contribute to the agenda for education for sustainable development, and in particular how it can effectively be implemented; and this is the special focus of our commentary by Gokool-Ramdoo and Ramjaun. // However, as several authors note, it is crucial to have the right leadership, strategies and pedagogies in place to ensure that learning for development takes place. Our articles on leaders in distance education across the world provide some examples of this leadership and we look forward to future articles in the series.