World Literacy Day observed across the world

World Literacy Day-8 August

World Literacy Day was observed across the world on 8 September 2014. The theme of International Literacy Day 2014 is Literacy and Sustainable Development. The aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individual, communities and societies. On this day, UNESCO reminds the international community of status of literacy and adult learning.

On this day, International Conference on Girls’ and women’s literacy and education: Foundations for sustainable development and the awarding of UNESCO Literacy Prizes was held in Dhaka with cooperation of Bangladesh.

About World Literacy Day
First World Literacy Day was celebrated on 8 September 1966 and it was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1965.

UNESCO observed the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012) which envisions Literacy for All. Throughout the Decade UNESCO takes actions to increase the absolute numbers of those who are literate. The Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) is the main mechanism for reaching this objective.

As a part of celebration in Dhaka, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova jointly awarded the 2014 UNESCO International Literacy Prize. The Confucius and King Sejong prizes were awarded to
• Ecuador’s Basic Education for Youth and Adults Project
• Spain’s Lifelong Learning School for Community Development project
• The Association for Promoting Non-formal Education from Burkina Faso
• The Algerian Association for Literacy and South Africa’s Bridges to the Future Initiative, implemented with the International Literacy Institute (USA).