Mercy Global Concern - 2003
United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012)
The United Nations Literacy decade aims to extend the use of
literacy to those who do not currently have access to it. Over
861 million adults are in that position, and over 113 million
children are not in school and therefore not gaining access to
literacy either. The Decade aims to focus on the needs of adults
with the goal that people everywhere should be able to use literacy
to communicate within their own community, in the wider society
and beyond. Literacy efforts have so far failed to reach the
poorest and most marginalized groups and it is hoped to address
such populations under the banner of...
Literacy for all: voice for all, learning for all. The outcome of the decade will be locally sustainable literate
environments. These environments will give people opportunities
to express their ideas and views, engage in effective learning,
participate in written communication, which characterizes democratic
societies, and exchange knowledge with others. This will include
increasing the use of electronic media and information technologies,
both as a means of self-expression and for accessing and assessing
the vast store of knowledge available today.
Image by UN Media Photograph Centre
Why has it been established?
There are three reasons, which justify the Decade:
1. One in five people under the age of 15 cannot communicate
through literacy or take any part in the surrounding literate
environment. There are 861 million people in the world who cannot
read or write and the majority of these are women, which adds
to the deprivation and subordination which women are already
subject. In an interconnected world where literacy is a key to
communication such exclusion is unacceptable.
2. Literacy is a human right. Basic education, within which
literacy is the key learning tool, was recognized as a human
right over 50 years ago, in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. It is a scandal that this right continues to be violated
for such a large proportion of humanity.
3. Literacy efforts up until now have proved inadequate at national
and international levels. The Decade is an opportunity to make
a sustained collective effort, which will go beyond one-shot
programmes or campaigns.
World Literacy in Brief - a statistical overview
- In 2000, one in five adult's aged 15+ was illiterate.
- There were about 860 million illiterate adults in the world
in 2000. If the current trend continues, in 2015 there
will be some 800 million illiterate adults.
- It is projected
that by 2015, the literacy rate will have increased to 85
per cent, below the EFA goal of 90
per cent.
Gender Perspective;
- Women account for two out of three illiterate adults.
- In
2000, there were 236 million illiterate women than men and
it is projected in 2015 the difference will be 215 million.
- The gender gap was most pronounced in the Arab States and
North Africa, and in the South and West Asia (about 23 percentage
points
in each of these regions).
Regional View;
- In 2000, about 70 per cent of the world's illiterate adults
lived in three regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, South and West
Asia, and the Arab States and North Africa.
- East Asia and the
Pacific reported an overall literacy rate of 86 per cent
with an estimated total illiterate population
of 185 million.
- The Latin American and Caribbean region has
an illiterate population of 39 million, or 11 per cent of
the total adult
population.
Some examples of ongoing work:
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and Literacy.
 The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) works
for women's empowerment and gender equality worldwide, by providing
financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and
strategies that promote women's human rights, political participation,
and economic security.
Education is a fundamental human right and critical to breaking
the cycle of poverty. It is in dangerously short supply for many
of the world's poor, the majority of whom are women. The poor
must have better access to literacy and skills training in order
to significantly improve their livelihoods.
UNIFEM's support for literacy is tied to the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), with a focus on rights based development programmes
to empower women and promote gender equality. UNIFEM's approach
focuses on 'applied literacy', where education and skills training
are integrated parts of larger strategies aimed at improving
women's rights, opportunities and capacities. For example, UNIFEM
supports the following projects...
- In Jordan, an innovative partnership between UNIFEM, Cisco
Systems and the Jordanian Government has designed women -specific
Cisco Networking Academy programmes to train women in ICTs.
- UNIFEM launched a Digital Diaspora initiative in 2002 to
build strategic partnerships between African IT entrepreneurs
in the Diaspora and women's organizations and business associations
in Africa. This imitative will undertake projects that empower
women economically through capacity building in the use of
ICTs.
- In Afghanistan, with the support of UNIFEM, the Ministry
of Women's Affairs has established Women's Centres in the provinces.
These centres provide a safe space for women to meet, and offer
a range of services, including literacy training and skills
development.
United Nations High commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Literacy
Literacy and education are a lasting investment in refugees'
future and sustainable development:
 "Education is one of the biggest gifts that we can give
our children. For refugees who have lost everything this is certainly
the case. It is impossible to calculate the immense costs that
are incurred by depriving refugees of education. If all that
some children know is violence, deprivation and exploitation,
they will lack the resources to contribute to the development
of stable, just and productive societies in the future." Ruud
Lubbers, UNHCR High Commissioner for Refugees.
UNHCR leads and coordinates international action for safeguarding
the rights and well being of some 20 million persons of concern.
Education is a fundamental human right, and an important tool
for protecting refugees. In close collaboration with member states,
which have the main obligation to educate refugees, UNHCR is
committed to making education available from the beginning of
an emergency until refugees find a lasting solution. In some
situations, refugee life provides the opportunity to be educated,
as this right has been previously denied in the country of origin.
Refugees themselves regard education and literacy as one of their
highest priorities and as a key to their survival and development.
Refugees have lived through extremely traumatic experiences.
It is important that some degree of normalcy and structure through
literacy and education activities are immediately in place to
minimize damage to their psychological well-being and before
despondency sets in. When refugees integrate into the country
of asylum, repatriate to their homeland or resettle in a third
country, the knowledge and skills that they have acquired will
help them build a better life.
As its highest priority, UNHCR strives to improve access of
refugees to basic and quality education. The specific need of
women and girls who represent 48.1 per cent of the total population
of concern to UNHCR are given particular attention. UNHCR has
formulated and developed policies, guidelines and strategies
to ensure that the right of refugees to education is respected.
Alternative and productive activities that enable refugees to
learn and gain skills can help curb violence, prevent forced
or voluntary conscription to militias, physical or sexual exploitation
and other risks that refugees are exposed to. Literacy and life
skills such as peace education, AIDS and mine awareness, health
and nutrition and environment education foster positive attitudes
and prepare refugees to deal with these important issues which
they may face in their daily lives.
Educating refugees and helping them to become literate is a
common responsibility of UNHCR and its partners, e.g. governments,
international and local NGOs, other UN agencies and the refuges
themselves.
Deirdre Mullan rsm
MGC
New York
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