It has the largest and widest-ranging readership of all the journals published by the United Nations and its specialized institutions.

[2] The magazine has changed a great deal over the years, both in content and in form.

But it pursues its original mission: promote UNESCO's ideals, maintain a platform for the dialogue between cultures and provide a forum for international debate.

The printed UNESCO Courier covers issues of literacy, human rights, environment, culture, science and arts.

Available online since March 2006,[3] The UNESCO Courier serves readers around the world: It is available for free on PDF in the six official languages of the organization (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese), as well as in Portuguese and Esperanto.