According to a report from the U.N. Secretary-General on "Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals" in 2018, official development assistance (ODA) for scholarships amounted to $1.2 billion in 2016. The largest contributors were Australia, France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and European Union. Education is a core aspect of the SDGs, and considered essential to their success. Hence, an international strategy has been established through the Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action. This strategy emphasizes  mobilizing national, regional, and global efforts and collaborations that aim at: