Blaming a combination of political indifference, weak domestic policies, and the failure of aid donors to act on commitments, the 2009 Education for All Global Monitoring Report  warns that ‘unacceptable’ national and global education disparities are undermining efforts to achieve international development goals.

The EFA Global Monitoring Report is an annual publication prepared by an independent team based at UNESCO. It monitors progress towards the six EFA goals adopted in Dakar, Senegal in 2000. The UIS is a key member of the EFA monitoring team, providing statistical annexes and analysis which lay the foundations for the report.

Entitled "Overcoming inequality: why governance matters", this edition documents a ‘vast gulf’ in educational opportunity separating rich and poor countries. In particular, the report notes that:

• One in three children in developing countries (193 million in total) reaches primary school age having had their brain development and education prospects impaired by malnutrition – a figure that rises to over 40% in parts of South Asia. High economic growth in some countries has done little to reduce child malnutrition, calling into question current public policies.

• 75 million children of primary school age are not in school, including just under one-third of the relevant age group in sub-Saharan Africa.

• Whereas over a third of children in rich countries complete university, in much of sub-Saharan Africa, a smaller share completes primary education – and just 5% attend university level.

To download the report, consult the EFA Global Monitoring Report website, which offers access to a wide range of materials in several languages, including press releases, summaries, regional overviews, background papers and interviews.