A/RES/63/154
Affirming that the realization of the right to education, especially for girls,
contributes to the promotion of gender equality and the eradication of poverty,
Welcoming the considerable efforts that have been made so far by Member
States and the international community to address the objectives of the Decade and
to implement the International Plan of Action,
Reaffirming the right of indigenous peoples, in particular children, to have
non-discriminatory access to all levels and forms of education provided by States,
Noting with deep concern that 774 million adults do not have basic literacy
skills, 75 million children remain out of school, and millions more young people
leave school without a level of literacy adequate for productive and active
participation in their societies, that the issue of literacy may not be sufficiently high
on national agendas to generate the kind of political and economic support required
to address global literacy challenges and that the world is unlikely to meet those
challenges if the present trends continue,
Deeply concerned about the persistence of the gender gap in education, which
is reflected by the fact that nearly two thirds of the world’s adult illiterates are
women,
Takes note of the report of the Director-General of the United Nations
1.
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the implementation of the
International Plan of Action for the United Nations Literacy Decade; 3
2F
2.
Takes note also of the summary outcomes of the Regional Conferences in
Support of Global Literacy, held in Azerbaijan, China, India, Mali, Mexico and
Qatar in 2007 and 2008, 4 which indicate that the second half of the Decade should
develop appropriate networks for greater regional collaboration;
3F
3.
Recognizes that a renewed collective commitment will be needed if the
objectives of the Decade are to be met;
4.
Calls upon Member States to further reinforce political will, giving
literacy higher priority within their educational planning and budgeting;
5.
Appeals to all Governments to develop reliable literacy data and
information and more inclusive policymaking environments and to devise
innovative strategies for reaching the groups disproportionately affected by
illiteracy, in particular the poorest and most marginalized groups, and for seeking
alternative formal and non-formal approaches to learning with a view to achieving
the goals of the Decade;
Appeals to Governments to take full account of the use of languages in
6.
different contexts by promoting multilingual approaches to literacy, through which
learners may acquire initial literacy in the language they know best and in additional
languages as needed;
Urges all Governments to take the lead in coordinating the activities of
7.
the Decade at the national level, bringing all relevant national actors together in a
sustained dialogue and collaborative action on policy formulation, implementation
and evaluation of literacy efforts;
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3
4
2
See A/63/172.
Available from http://www.unesco.org/education/en/literacy/conferences.