A/RES/56/116
Recalling the United Nations Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000 5 in
which Member States resolved to ensure that, by the year 2015, children
everywhere, boys and girls alike, would be able to complete a full course of primary
schooling and that girls and boys would have equal access to all levels of education,
which requires a renewed commitment to promote literacy for all,
Recalling also the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development 6 and the
Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development 7 and the
outcome document of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly,
entitled “World Summit for Social Development and beyond: achieving social
development for all in a globalizing world”, 8
Convinced that literacy is crucial to the acquisition, by every child, youth and
adult, of essential life skills that enable them to address the challenges they can face
in life, and represents an essential step in basic education, which is an indispensable
means for effective participation in the societies and economies of the twenty-first
century,
Affirming that the realization of the right to education, especially for girls,
contributes to the eradication of poverty,
Acknowledging the activities undertaken at the national and regional levels for
the Education for All 2000 assessment of progress towards achieving the goals of
education for all, and stressing further the need to redouble efforts in order to meet
the basic needs of people of all age groups, in particular girls and women,
Recognizing that, despite the significant progress in basic education, especially
the increase in primary school enrolment coupled with a growing emphasis on the
quality of education, major problems, both emerging and continuing, still persist,
which require even more forceful and concerted action at the national and
international levels so as to achieve the goal of education for all,
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,
Urging Member States, in close partnership with international organizations,
as well as non-governmental organizations, to promote the right to education for all
and to create conditions for all for learning throughout life,
1.
Takes note of the report of the Director-General of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization entitled “Draft proposal and plan
for a United Nations literacy decade”; 9
2.
Proclaims the ten-year period beginning on 1 January 2003 the United
Nations Literacy Decade;
_______________
5
See resolution 55/2.
Report of the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen, 6–12 March 1995 (United Nations
publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.8), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I.
7
Ibid., annex II.
8
Resolution S-24/2, annex.
9
See A/56/114-E/2001/93 and Add.1.
6
2