UNESCO promotes efforts to reduce Illiteracy

World in Progress | 08.09.2008 | 04:30

UNESCO promotes efforts to reduce Illiteracy

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Empowering women by teaching them how to read and write benefits the larger society as well

More than 774 Million people across the world cannot read or write. But globalization and quickly changing media make access to information crucial for all people

Illiterate people are excluded from many aspects of society. They are often caught in a vicious cycle of poverty and lack access to basic education. Raising literacy levels enhance people's chances in life as well as impacting on development and health of their nations.

International Efforts on teaching adults focus on countries with high illiteracy rates or more than 10 million illiterate citizens, including nations like India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Chad as well as China, Brazil or the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Promoting Lifelong Learning

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning in Hamburg, Germany, promotes and co-ordinates international efforts to increase literacy levels. Ulrike Hanemann, senior expert at the Institute, told World in Progress that it's more crucial than ever to bridge the increasing information divide between cities and rural areas by giving all people - both adults and children - an education.