Today, we
celebrate the first Literacy Day of the United Nations Literacy
Decade -- the international framework for action launched last
February to galvanize the work for improved literacy rates around
the world, focused on the international goal of raising literacy
levels by 50 per cent by 2015.
There are more
than 860 million illiterate adults in the world today, two-thirds
of whom are women. Helping them achieve literacy is not only
vital in its own right; it is a prerequisite for reaching the
other objectives the world has set itself in the Millennium
Declaration. Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout
life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way
for democratic participation and active citizenship.
While the
challenge is greatest in developing countries, no society in the
world can claim that illiteracy has been fully eradicated. Many
developed countries are experiencing modest but worrying levels of
illiteracy. In all countries, illiteracy is connected to patterns
of poverty, social exclusion and inequalities.
The literacy
challenge, therefore, cannot be addressed in isolation. It
requires an integrated approach that places literacy in context
and draws on contributions from all actors –- government at every
level, civil society, the private sector, community groups,
professional educators and, last but not least, family, friends
and colleagues of those seeking to develop their literacy skills.
Acquiring
literacy is an empowering process, enabling millions to enjoy
access to knowledge and information which broadens horizons,
increases opportunities and creates alternatives for building a
better life. It is essential to the education of girls and the
empowerment of women, the most effective tools we know for
development across all society. That is why the first two years
of the Literacy Decade will give special emphasis to women’s
literacy, as a stepping stone to our ultimate goal of literacy for
all. On this day, let us vow to work together to ensure that
illiteracy has no place in the twenty-first century.
