OIDEL

What OIDEL does

OIDEL (Organisation internationale pour le droit à l'éducation) is a Geneva-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1986 that advocates for the right to education and freedom of education in international law and policy. It holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), UNESCO, and the Council of Europe, which provides standing access to UN Human Rights Council sessions, UNESCO consultations, and the CoE Conference of INGOs. The organization is led by President Teresa Martínez (elected November 2023) and Director Ignasi Grau Callizo, and operates with a small staff of approximately 18 employees.

Its core "products" are research publications and convening services rather than commercial software. The flagship is the Freedom of Education Index (FEI), a quantitative benchmarking tool for educational pluralism published in 2016, 2018, 2023, and 2025, authored by the Director. Supplementary offerings include the Human Rights Observatory (monitoring reports), the Corpus on the Right to Education (a legal database of international instruments), the annual Summer University on Human Rights and Education delivered jointly with the University of Geneva's ERDIE and Notre Dame Law School, and human rights training courses in Spanish, English, and French. OIDEL also coordinates the NGO Platform for the Right to Education, an umbrella of 34 civil society organizations that pools advocacy at international forums.

The business model is that of a membership- and grant-funded non-profit NGO rather than a commercial enterprise. Direct fee income is limited to participant fees for the Summer University (CHF 760 per participant, excluding travel and accommodation). The organization sustains itself through consultative status, partnerships with academic institutions (University of Geneva, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, CEU San Pablo, IPC Paris, Universidad Panamericana), and engagement with European policy networks including the ECR Group, Martens Centre, EACE, and CEEC. Geographic reach spans Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, France, Spain, and the United States, with active Latin American expansion signalled by 2025 agreements.

Name

OIDEL

Legal name

OIDEL – Organisation internationale pour le droit à l'éducation

Website

https://oidel.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OIDEL is a Geneva-based international NGO, founded 1986, with consultative status at the UN, UNESCO, and Council of Europe. It publishes the Freedom of Education Index, coordinates a 34-NGO platform, and runs the annual Summer University on Human Rights and Education to advance educational pluralism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Rights Advocacy and Policy Research

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAGAJAO

OER Licensing, Rights & Open Policy Support (Creative Commons)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Textbooks

SECONDARYMPAJABAG

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYEDAGAJAB

Open Courseware & Course Modules (OCW)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Textbooks

Keywords

• Right to education
• Freedom of education
• Educational pluralism
• Education policy advocacy
• Human rights education

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OIDEL is an international NGO that produces research and policy advocacy on the right to education and freedom of education. Its commercial-adjacent offerings include the paid Summer University training program (CHF 760 per participant), human rights training courses, the Freedom of Education Index (FEI), the Human Rights Observatory, the Corpus on the Right to Education legal database, and coordination of an NGO Platform of 34 civil society organizations.

Product overview

OIDEL is a non-profit NGO (Organisation internationale pour le droit à l'éducation) offering a portfolio of research publications, monitoring services, legal databases, and training programs focused on the right to education and freedom of education. The core offerings include the Freedom of Education Index (FEI) for worldwide educational pluralism analysis, the Human Rights Observatory for monitoring reports, the Corpus on the Right to Education as a legal reference database, and the Summer University training program. OIDEL also coordinates the Right to Education NGO Platform and provides human rights training courses. These products serve advocacy, academic, and policy-making purposes rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Summer University: Annual summer university program on human rights and education, conducted in collaboration with ERDIE (University of Geneva) and the Global Human Rights Clinic (Notre Dame Law School).
• Freedom of Education Index (FEI)
• Human Rights Observatory

Products and services

• Freedom of Education Index (FEI) An annual research publication providing quantitative analysis of educational pluralism worldwide. Used by international advocacy bodies, governments, and researchers to benchmark freedom of education across countries. Published editions include 2016, 2018, 2023, and 2025.
• Human Rights Observatory A monitoring service that tracks and publishes reports on human rights issues related to education and educational pluralism. Aimed at policymakers, civil society organizations, and academic audiences engaged in education rights.
• Corpus on the Right to Education A comprehensive legal database containing international legal instruments and documentation related to the right to education. Serves researchers, legal practitioners, and policymakers seeking authoritative references on education law.
• Summer University on Human Rights and Education An annual international training program on human rights and education, offered in collaboration with ERDIE (University of Geneva) and the Global Human Rights Clinic (Notre Dame Law School). Available in Junior and Senior editions covering educational pluralism, cultural rights, and international advocacy. Targeted at graduate students, professionals, and civil society representatives.
• Human Rights Training Courses Specialized training offerings including 'Pluralismo Educativo e Inclusión' (Spanish), Summer University in English, and various courses on education rights, SDGs implementation, and human rights topics for professionals worldwide.
• Right to Education NGO Platform A collaborative platform coordinated by OIDEL that brings together 34 NGOs to advocate collectively for education rights in international forums, particularly at the UN and UNESCO.

Quantifiable outcome

• NGO Platform coordination with 34 member organizations
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Universidad Panamericana (Mexico)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2025OIDEL and Universidad Panamericana signed an academic cooperation agreement represented by Teresa Martínez for OIDEL and Martha Alicia Rodríguez (Secretary General) and María Isabel Álvarez (Dean of Law Faculty) for the university. The agreement aims to strengthen academic collaboration in education law and human rights.
• IPC Paris (Facultés Libres de Philosophie et de Psychologie de Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025OIDEL and IPC Paris signed a framework collaboration agreement represented by Ignasi Grau (Director of OIDEL) and Emmanuel Brochier (Dean and Director of IPC Paris). The partnership focuses on academic cooperation in education and human rights.
• European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOIDEL partnered with the ECR Group to organize a high-level event on educational pluralism at the European Parliament in January 2026, bringing together MEPs and civil society leaders.
• European Alliance for Christian Education (EACE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEACE was officially founded in 2025 as an EU lobby group representing over 1,100 evangelical schools and 250,000 students across Europe. OIDEL works closely with EACE on shared commitment to freedom of education and minority cultural rights.
• European Committee for Catholic Education (CEEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEEC is an international association representing 29 Catholic education networks across 27 European countries, covering over 35,000 schools and 8 million students. OIDEL participates in their General Assemblies and collaborates on advocacy for educational pluralism.
• Martens Centre (European Ideas Network)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on joint publication 'Educational Pluralism in Europe: Where We Are and the Way Forward' - a report analyzing 10 European educational systems.
• CEU-CEFAS (Centro de Estudios Financieros y de la Administración)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research on 'Trends in Freedom of Education in the World' using the FEI 2023 data and scientific literature review on non-state school performance.
• University of Geneva / ERDIEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Summer University program on Human Rights and Education, combining UN officials, policy experts, civil society representatives, and students.
• Notre Dame Law School (Global Human Rights Clinic)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Summer University program and joint symposiums on Catholic Schools and Religious Liberty.
• Plateforme des ONG pour le droit à l'éducation (NGO Platform for the Right to Education)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOIDEL coordinates this platform of 34 NGOs that brings collective voice to education debates at international organizations, enabling many actors to participate in policy discussions.
• EdChoicesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration at International School Choice and Reform Conference (ISCRC), presenting the Freedom of Education Index and participating in panels on school choice and educational freedom.
• New Direction (European Foundation for Freedom)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOIDEL participates in Think Tank Central annual conference and other events organized by New Direction, which is linked to the ECR Parliamentary Group.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOIDEL has consultative status with UNESCO and participates in symposiums, consultations, and conferences. Collaboration on human rights education and training programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• INEE (Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies): Global, open network of 4,000+ practitioners working on education in emergencies and crisis contexts. Comparable as an international NGO network focused on education rights, with distinct thematic focus on emergencies rather than pluralism, but similar institutional architecture and policy influence ambitions.
• Global Campaign for Education: International civil society movement advocating for the right to education globally, with UNESCO and UN consultative relationships. Highly comparable mission to OIDEL's right-to-education advocacy, though broader in scope (focusing on equity, financing, and gender) rather than pluralism.
• Right to Education Initiative: International NGO focused on the right to education via legal research, advocacy, and tool development. Direct peer in mission, scale, and approach; also produces legal databases and analytical reports analogous to OIDEL's Corpus on the Right to Education.
• European Committee for Catholic Education (CEEC): International association representing 29 Catholic education networks across 27 European countries, covering 35,000 schools and 8 million students. OIDEL's direct partner and close peer in mission to defend educational pluralism; comparable at the network-coordination and EU-advocacy layer.

Regional players

• European Platform for Lifelong Learning (LLLP): European civil society platform for lifelong learning advocacy with EU institutions. OIDEL Executive Committee member Arja Krauchenberg serves as LLLP's president. Comparable as a Europe-based education advocacy NGO platform, with overlapping conference and policy engagement.

Emerging players

• EdChoice: US-based organization advocating for school choice and parental educational freedom, working with OIDEL at ISCRC conferences. Comparable mission on educational freedom, but operates in a different geography (US-focused) and through a different delivery model (advocacy and polling rather than international policy participation).
• New Direction (European Foundation for Freedom): Brussels-based think tank linked to the ECR Parliamentary Group, focused on European policy research. OIDEL's collaborating partner at events; comparable as a European education policy/advocacy organization with similar ideological positioning but broader thematic scope.

Broad incumbents

• UNESCO (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning): UN specialized agency for education with significantly larger footprint and resources. OIDEL has consultative status with UNESCO and participates in consultations; UNESCO is a comparable but vastly larger institutional actor addressing right to education and educational policy frameworks.
• Education International: Global federation of teachers' unions representing 32 million educators in 178 countries. Directly comparable as a major international education-focused NGO with consultative status at UN agencies, though considerably larger and focused on labor rights rather than freedom of education/pluralism.
• Council of Europe - Education Directorate: Intergovernmental body overseeing education policy across 46 European member states. OIDEL participates in its Conference of INGOs and consultative processes; directly comparable as a policy/advocacy interlocutor on education rights at the European level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=yZyia-kJaGA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oidel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about OIDEL