Girls in classroom in Mali

The right to education

Every human being has the right to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities

Education is a basic human right that works to raise men and women out of poverty, level inequalities and ensure sustainable development. But worldwide 244 million children and youth are still out of school for social, economic and cultural reasons. Education is one of the most powerful tools in lifting excluded children and adults out of poverty and is a stepping stone to other fundamental human rights. It is the most sustainable investment. The right to quality education is already firmly rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international legal instruments, the majority of which are the result of the work of UNESCO and the United Nations.   

Right to education campaign

Monitoring tools

Explore the status of the right to education worldwide
HerAtlas: Monitoring the right to education for girls and women
Observatory on the right to education
The right to education of minorities: overview of States’ measures reported in the 10th Consultation on the 1960 Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education
UNESCO
2023
UNESCO
0000385259
South-Eastern Europe regional synthesis: climate change, displacement and the right to education
UNESCO
2023
UNESCO
0000385287
Asia-Pacific regional synthesis : climate change, displacement and the right to education
UNESCO
UNU-IAS
UNESCO Bangkok Office
2023
UNESCO
0000385187
Central America and the Caribbean regional synthesis: climate change, displacement and the right to education
UNESCO
2023
UNESCO
0000385183
Building and strengthening the legal framework on ECCE rights: achievements, challenges and actions for change; thematic report
2022
UNESCO
0000383594
Right to higher education: unpacking the international normative framework in light of current trends and challenges
UNESCO
Right to Education Initiative
2022
UNESCO
0000382335
Protect her rights, strengthen your laws: Her Atlas: status report on girls’ and women’s right to education
UNESCO
2022
UNESCO
0000382158
Right to education handbook
UNESCO
Right to Education Initiative
2019
UNESCO
0000366556
GEM report logo wheel

Monitoring SDG 4: access to education

Resources from UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report.

Contact

For any information, please contact: righttoeducation@unesco.org