The 2013/4 Education for All Monitoring Report shows why education is pivotal for development in a rapidly changing world. It explains how investing wisely in teachers, and other reforms aimed at strengthening equitable learning, transform the long-term prospects of people and societies.

Women and men tend to take different career paths and the research field is no exception. Overall, women account for a minority of the world's researchers. Despite the growing demand for cross-nationally comparable statistics on women in science, national data and their use in policymaking often remain limited. This document presents and regional profiles pinpointing where women thrive in this sector and where they are under-represented.

This collaborative working paper discusses hidden dimensions of urban poverty, and the different ways in which they impact men and women. This gender perspective supports a broader understanding of urban poverty that stretches beyond income to include domestic and care responsibilities, dependency and powerlessness.

The Education Digest presents the latest education statistics worldwide.

The report marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. Shortly after this landmark conference in 1995, the international community pledged to eliminate gender disparities in education by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The report presents the latest available data to analyse national progress and pitfalls in offering every child and young person equal access to education regardless of their sex.

By 2030, towns and cities will be home to almost 5 billion people. The urban population of Africa and Asia will double in less than a generation. This unprecedented shift could enhance development and promote sustainability – or it could deepen poverty and accelerate environmental degradation. Women's empowerment and well-being are the pillars of sustainable cities.