Since 1967, annual celebrations of International Literacy Day (ILD) have taken place on September 8 worldwide to remind policymakers, professionals, and the public of the critical importance of literacy in creating a more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society.
Literacy is a fundamental human right for all. It opens the door to the exercise of other human rights, greater freedoms, and global citizenship. Literacy is the foundation for individuals to acquire broader knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and behaviors to foster a lasting culture of peace based on respect for equality and non-discrimination, the rule of law, solidarity, justice, diversity, and tolerance, and to build harmonious relationships with themselves, with others, and with the planet.
In 2022, however, at least one in seven adults aged 15 and older (765 million) lacked basic literacy skills. Furthermore, millions of children struggle to achieve minimum levels of reading, writing, and numeracy proficiency, while around 250 million children aged 6-18 are out of school. Celebrations in 2024
This year, ILD will be celebrated under the theme of “Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace.”
There is an urgent need to harness the transformative potential of literacy to promote mutual understanding, social cohesion, and peace. In today’s world, where multilingualism is a common practice for many, empowering individuals by adopting a mother-tongue-based multilingual approach to literacy and education development is particularly effective due to its cognitive, pedagogical, and socioeconomic benefits. Such an approach can help promote mutual understanding and respect while solidifying community identities and collective histories.
ILD2024 will address issues related to literacy in multilingual contexts to achieve lasting peace and explore possible solutions to enhance policies, lifelong learning systems, governance, programs, and practices. ILD2024 will be celebrated both in-person and online at global, regional, national, and local levels.
Source: Unesco