Today 83 per cent of adults in developing countries can read and write and 84 per cent of children attend primary school. The goal now is to ensure that by 2015 all children complete a full course of primary school. Programmes aimed at promoting education and advancement for women helped to raise the female literacy rate in developing countries from 36 per cent in 1970 to 79 per cent in 2007. The next goal is to ensure that by 2015 all girls complete primary and secondary school.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has helped 137 countries to protect ancient monuments and historic, cultural and natural sites. It has negotiated international conventions to preserve cultural property, cultural diversity and outstanding cultural and natural sites. More than 850 such sites have been designated as having exceptional universal value.

The United Nations, through UNESCO and the United Nations University, has encouraged scholarly and scientific cooperation, networking of higher education institutions and promotion of cultural expression, including for minorities and indigenous people.