As chair of the World Academy of Sciences Young Affiliates Network (TYAN), I am one of the organizers of an open letter describing the adverse impact on researchers in developing countries of article-processing charges for open-access publications (see go.nature.com/3jn1k6s). We call for a multilateral solution to the problem that will help the entire global community. By mid-May, the letter’s signatory list included 17 Nobel laureates and more than 30 international organizations and academies.
Article-processing fees are deepening the inequalities between scientists from developed and developing countries in sharing scientific advances (see, for example, T. Ross-Hellauer Nature 603, 363; 2022). The international community must exercise multilateral governance and academic cooperation to ensure that open-access publication models promote equal opportunities for researchers worldwide.
TYAN outlines some first steps towards achieving this goal, and suggests how they could be initiated by a purpose-built committee.
