This study questions the link between education outcomes and public education expenditure? Are governments and donors spending enough on education to achieve the millennium development goal(MDGs)? How accurate are indicators used to measure progress towards Education for All (EFA)?

Is Education For All (EFA) affordable? Estimating the global minimum cost of education for all (Summary in French, Spanish and English)
Only a fifth of the education promise has been kept since 1990 (two global conferences set the target of universal access to basic education by the year 2000). There are many reasons for the inadequate progress, and most of them are country-specific. However, one explanation stands out in virtually all countries: inadequate public finance for primary education. The purpose of this paper is to update the global and regional cost estimates for achieving 'education for all' by 2015  the new target date set by the Social Summit in 1995. The estimates are based on the most recent country-by-country data on budgetary expenditure, population and enrolment trends, and unit cost.

This is a regional comparative analysis of child related goals and targets, conducted by UNICEF/ECLAC.

Definitions used at the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

The goal of the United Nations ten year Girls' Education Initiative is to mount a sustained campaign to improve the quality and availability of girls' education through a collaborative partnership of different entities within and outside the United Nations system.

This paper prepared by UNICEF provides a comprehensive and practical guide to some of the obstacles to girls education and possible solutions to address them. Country Teams may wish to use the paper as a checklist for their work in CCAs, UNDAFs and other responses to the UN Girls Education Initiative launched by the Secretary-General in 2000. (Details on the initiative itself can be found in the Key documents in this section of DevLink).

UNICEF's "State of the World's Children" contends that promoting basic education for girls will jump-start the progress needed to reach the Millennium Development Goals. Currently, school enrollment and literacy rates are still far higher among boys than among girls, perpetuating the vast waste of human potential.

Annual reports from the Resident Coordinators provide information on collaborative activities undertaken by the UN in particular countries. This document provides a synthesis of highlights and key issues raised in activities related to education in general, and girls' education in particular from the 2001 reports. Country specific information is provided in a separate document (26 pages).

The Millennium Development goal of 'eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary schools by 2005' is a complex task, requiring a multi-sectoral approach and strong partnerships with national governments. While progress is being made, there is still much to be done. These guidance notes have been developed in response to requests from DFID education advisors, and are relevant for other partner organisations. They draw from DFID's Gender manual, Derbyshire, H., 2002, Gender Manual: A Practical Guide for Development Policy Makers and Practitioners, international partners' guidelines and from the experiences of DFID education advisors in-country.

DFID welcomes your feedback. Please direct all enquiries to Rachel Hinton, Social Development Advisor, Education, DFID at R-Hinton@dfid.gov.uk.

This document introduces the "Guidance Note to UN Country Teams on Girls' Education" developed by UNGEI member entities in collaboration with the UNDG Programme Group as part of an ongoing effort to provide Country Teams with guidance and support on priority thematic issues designed to strengthen inter-agency collaboration.