The United Nations, through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the UNESCO >Education for All (EFA), World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) and Literacy Decade initiatives, has set a high priority on the improvement of education world-wide.

The G8 Heads of State concur and acknowledge the role that information and communication technology (ICT) can play in supporting educational improvement. The UNESCO ICT Competency Standards for Teachers project is developed in support of these priorities.

Economists identify three factors that lead to growth based on increased productivity:
  capital deepening (the use of equipment that is more productive than earlier versions);
  higher quality labor (a more knowledgeable workforce that is more productive), and
  technological innovation-the creation, distribution, and use of new knowledge.

These three productivity factors serve as the basis for three complementary, somewhat overlapping approaches that connect education policy with economic development.

Projects
  ICT competency standards for teachers;
  Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) for the Arab region: Miftaah;
  Digital library on traditional Arabic literature: Majaliss.