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Despite progress, about 250 million children and youth are out of school according to the : 122 million are girls and 128 million are boys. And women still account for nearly two-thirds of the 765 million adults without basic literacy skills. Poverty, geographical isolation, minority status, disability, early marriage and pregnancy, gender-based violence, and traditional attitudes about the status and role of women and men, are among the many obstacles that prevent children and youth from fulfilling their right to participate in, complete and benefit from education.

Gender equality is a . It is inextricably linked to its mandate to lead the which recognizes that gender equality requires an approach that ‘ensures that girls and boys, women and men not only gain access to and complete education cycles but are empowered equally in and through education’. UNESCO believes in the transformative power of education to foster a more just, prosperous and inclusive world for us all. Gender-transformative education unlocks the potential of learners in all their diversity, contributes to ending harmful gender norms, attitudes and practices, and transforms institutions to achieve just, equal and inclusive societies. Girls’ and women’s education also has the power to save lives, stimulating multiplier effects that reduce poverty, maternal and infant mortality, and early marriage.

UNESCO promotes gender equality throughout the education system including participation in education (access), within education (content, teaching and learning context and practices) and through education (learning outcomes, life and work opportunities). This work is guided by the and the. It focuses on system-wide transformation to benefit all learners equally across three priority areas: better data to inform action, better legal and policy frameworks to advance rights and better teaching and learning practices to empower. A particular emphasis is placed on girls’ and women’s education through UNESCO’s  initiative, designed to accelerate action and leadership in this area. UNESCO supports countries through efforts such as the Global Platform for Gender Equality and Girls’ and Women’s Empowerment in and through Education, and partnerships such as the UNESCO-CJ Strategic Partnership for girls’ education. 

UNESCO also produces a global monitoring report on gender equality in education and tracks gender gaps in education indicators across countries and between groups within countries on its  (WIDE). The Global Platform for Gender Equality in and through Education’s  tracks progress against the gender-related commitments made during the  in September 2022.

UNESCO places emphasis on education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to address the fact that girls and women are under-represented in this field both in school and in the job market. Too many girls and women are held back by bias, social norms and expectations influencing the education they receive and the subjects they study. Gaps are greatest in engineering and ICT, where young women make up only 25% of students in this fields in two-thirds of countries with data. UNESCO’s groundbreaking report was the first to highlight the barriers stifling girls‘ and women’s engagement in these fields, and provide practical solutions on how these barriers can be overcome. UNESCO supports countries to deliver gender-transformative STEM education, and raise girls’ and women’s interest and participation in these fields seen as key for our collective future.

Girls have more difficulty accessing education and are more likely than boys to be out of school, particularly at primary level. However, boys are at greater risk of repeating grades, failing to progress and complete their education, and not learning while in school. 

UNESCO developed the first global report of this scope on , bringing together qualitative and quantitative evidence from over 140 countries. This report provides an overview on the global situation on boys’ disengagement from and disadvantage in education. It identifies factors influencing boys’ participation, progression and learning outcomes in education. It also analyses responses by governments and partners, and examines promising policies and programmes. Finally, it includes recommendations on how to re-engage boys with education and address disadvantage. 

Nationwide school closures impacted more than 1.5 billion learners from pre-primary to secondary education. A   under the Global Education Coalition is helping countries to build back equal and protect the gains on gender equality and education made in the past 25 years. UNESCO and members of the Gender Flagship launched a campaign entitled  promoting the importance of girls’ continuity of learning amid COVID-19 and girls’ safe return to school. The global report  provides key information on addressing the gender dimensions of COVID-related school closures, while the  supports policymakers and practitioners in Ministries of Education and their partners to ensure girls’ continuity of learning and to establish evidence-based plans for girls’ safe return to school.