The Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report is six years old and seven reports have been produced (UNESCO, 2000-2008). It is a product of the outcomes of the World Education Forum in Dakar held in 2000. It is designed to track progress towards the realization of the six EFA goals and to hold governments and the international community to account for their promises and pledges. This short article reviews the genesis, evolution, characteristics, and influence of the GMR to the beginning of 2008. It concludes that the report is now a well established feature of annual international reporting and has helped to strengthen UNESCO's voice. It is a reference point of some significance but it will need to adjust its reporting and its argument as 2015 approaches.