Global Literacy Matters

According to UNESCO, “over 84 percent of the world’s adults are now literate.” While this is an encouraging statistic, representing an 8-percentage point increase since 1990, it still leaves more than 774 million adults around the world who cannot read or write. September 8 is International Literacy Day. UNESCO declared the day in 1966 to raise awareness of literacy issues around the world. This year’s theme is “Literacies for the 21st Century,” reflecting the idea that literacy is the cornerstone of peace and development today since literacy is at the heart of basic education for all. An international colloquium on this issue will be held at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters on Monday, September 9, as part of the celebration for International Literacy Day. Opened by the Director-General, the event will bring together ministers and deputy ministers of education, development and culture from Afghanistan, Benin, the Republic of Chad, India, Namibia, Pakistan, and Senegal, along with repres...

On September 8, the world will mark International Literacy Day , recognizing the more than 759 million adults—16 percent of the world’s population—who possess only basic or below basic literacy levels in their native languages. The theme of this year’s International Literacy Day is Literacy and Peace. Literacy can have a tremendous impact on conflict resolution and human rights. In fact, peace projects are one of the core international initiatives at ProLiteracy, helping to address violence, cultural expression, and indigenous rights in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, and Canada. ProLiteracy’s Literacy and Peace Initiative integrates literacy and peace building to help men, women, and children in 10 African and Middle Eastern countries develop non-violent solutions to conflict-based problems. Specifically, ProLiteracy works in Afghanistan with partner Roqia Center to peacefully change th...