International
Literacy Day
Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are
now close to four billion literate people in the world. However, literacy for
all – children, youth and adults - is still an unaccomplished goal and an ever
moving target. A combination of ambitious goals, insufficient and parallel
efforts, inadequate resources and strategies, and continued underestimation of
the magnitude and complexity of the task accounts for this unmet goal. Lessons
learnt over recent decades show that meeting the goal of universal literacy
calls not only for more effective efforts but also for renewed political will
and for doing things differently at all levels - locally, nationally and
internationally.
International Literacy Day was established in 1965 by
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
and is celebrated around the world each year on 8 September. In 1990, the
United Nations General Assembly gave a boost to world literacy by proclaiming
International Literacy Year. This special Year signified the ongoing commitment
of the world community to recognize and support literacy as a key to personal
development and to the socio-economic progress of nations.
In its resolution
A/RES/56/116, the General Assembly proclaimed the ten year period beginning
The photo shows the
Mongolian Ambassador to the UN, Jargalsaikhany Enkhsaikhan leading a discussion with leaders from UNESCO,
IRA, World Bank, U.S. Dept. of Education, and VALUE (an adult literacy
organization) on the occasion of International Literacy Day 2002.
2002 Literacy for Diversity:
Voices of Resilience
2003 Literacy
and Gender
2004 Literacy
and Gender
2005 Literacy
and sustainable development
2006 Literacy
sustains development
2007 Literacy,
key to good health and well-being
2008 Literacy
is the best remedy
Link
The Literacy section on the UNESCO website.
Related subject
Stamp catalogue - 1976
Niger
Stamp catalogue -
1983
Niger
last revised: