Dagen er i år særligt helliget analfabetismens indvirkning på verdensfreden – 775 mio. kloden over er stadig analfabeter og 85 procent af dem befinder sig i 41 fattige lande, lyder de seneste opgørelser.
PARIS, 7 September 2012: United Nations officials have stressed the importance of literacy (at kunne læse og skrive) in accelerating peace and development, calling for greater efforts to enable children, youth and adults to read, write and transform their lives.
This year’s International Literacy Day, observed annually on 8 September, has a special focus on the fundamental relationship between literacy and peace.
“We must not allow conflict to deprive children and adults of the crucial opportunity of literacy. Literacy is a fundamental human right, and the foundation of all education and lifelong learning,” the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, said in her message for the Day.
The agency has been marking the day for more than four decades.
She added that literacy transforms the lives of people, allowing them to make informed choices and empowering them individuals to become agents of change.
“Lasting peace depends on the development of literate citizenship and access to education for all. Amidst political upheaval and escalating violence in many parts of the world, literacy must be a priority in the peace-building agenda of all nations,” she stated.
Peace and sustainable development are interdependent, and it is crucial for the two to develop and strengthen simultaneously, Ms. Bokova continued.
“Literacy is also a development accelerator, enabling societies to grow more inclusively and sustainably,” she noted. “Literacy programmes can become a key component of future development strategies, opening new opportunities and skills for all.”
This year marks the end of the UN Literacy Decade, proclaimed in 2002 to galvanize government action worldwide against illiteracy.
Over the decade, and despite considerable effort and some major achievements, 775 million people are still considered non-literate, of whom 85 per cent live in 41 countries.
Læs videre på
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42829&Cr=literacy&Cr1=#.UEpri2Vqr4s
Begynd fra: “As part of the celebrations for the Day, UNESCO has…”
Kilde: FNs Nyhedstjeneste
