recently, many international organizations and unesco member states have emphasized the importance of learning that takes place outside of formal learning settings. this emphasis has led unesco, through its institute of lifelong learning (uil), to adopt international guidelines for the recognition, validation and accreditation of the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning in 2012. the emphasis has also led to an increasing number of policies and programmes in many member states, and a gradual shift from pilots to large-scale systems such as those in portugal, france, australia, mauritius and south africa.