Recently organizations involved in distance education formed an association committed to promoting access to lifelong learning of high quality. Participating institutions included public, private-for-profit and non-governmental organizations. All were united in their belief that distance education methods could play a major role in facing global enormous educational challenges.

Below is the list of courtesy associates and organizations with links to their websites:

• ASCILITE — Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education
  http://www.ascilite.org.au/
• AAOU — Asian Association of Open Universities
  http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/~AAOUNet
• ACODE — the Australasian Council of Distance and E-learning
  An advisory body made up of university Directors of distance learning
  http://ncode.uow.edu.au/
• CNIE —Canadian Network for Innovation in Education
  CNIE connects educators, administrators and practitioners in a bilingual, pan Canadian network. CNIE promotes research and advances practice in both open and distance education and the use of educational technologies. CNIE addresses all educational contexts, including K-12, post-secondary, and private sector.
  CNIE was formed in 2005 with the merger of the the Canadian Association for Distance Education (CADE) and the Association for Media and Technology in Education in Canada (AMTEC).
  http://www.cnie-rcie.ca
• COL — The Commonwealth of Learning
  An international organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education resources and technologies.
  http://www.col.org
• DEANZ — Distance Education Association of New Zealand
  http://www.deanz.org.nz/
• ICDE — International Council for Open and Distance Education
  The global membership organisation of educational institutions, national and regional associations, corporations, educational authorities and agencies in the fields of open learning, distance education, and flexible, lifelong learning
  http://www.icde.org/
• NADEOSA — National Association of Distance Education Organisations South Africa
  http://www.nadeosa.org.za/
• PIRADE — Pacific Islands Association of Distance Education
  http://www.col.org/pirade/
• PNGADE — Papua New Guinea Association of Distance Educators
  Contact: President Paraka Pena
  Paraka.m.pena@upng.ac.pg
• SAIDE — The South African Institute for Distance Education
  http://www.saide.org.za/
• USDLA — United States Distance Learning Association
  Promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training.
  http://www.usdla.org

The following professional associations and collaborations assist with all areas of education and flexible learning, and are not specific to distance education.

• Educause
  Focuses on the management and use of computational, network, and information resources in support of higher education's missions of scholarship, instruction, service, and administration.
  http://www.educause.edu
• AACE — Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education
  An international, educational, and professional organization dedicated to the advancement of the knowledge, theory, and quality of learning and teaching at all levels with information technology.
  http://www.aace.org
• AAHE — Teaching, Learning, and Technology Affiliate of The American Association for Higher Education (AAHE)
  The TLT Group's mission is to motivate and enable institutions and individuals to improve teaching and learning withtechnology, while helping them cope with continual change.
  http://www.tltgroup.org
• HERDSA — The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia
  HERDSA encourages and promotes quality teaching and learning in higher education, provides forums for the exchange of information on higher education, develops and publishes material for higher education teachers
  http://www.herdsa.org.au/

WAOE — The World Association for Online Education
WAOE (pronounced 'wowee') is dedicated to turning online education into a professional discipline. While incorporated as a non-profit body in California participation is intended to be global, primarily via electronic means.
http://www.waoe.org (multilingual website)