© UNESCO
The Africa Policy Forum on Literacy and Basic Life Skills for Vulnerable Youth was held 26-29 September 2011 in Bamako, Mali. It brought together 70 participants from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The Forum was jointly organised by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, the UNESCO Bamako Cluster Office, with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Directors of Literacy Offices and other government representatives, civil society and vulnerable youth were able to examine national policies relating to youth and their access to literacy and basic life skills, as well as to share innovative practice responding to the particular needs of vulnerable youth. A highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the UIL and CIDA research on outreach to vulnerable youth. UNESCO´s commitment to youth was reaffirmed by the active participation of 17 young people in policy and programme discussions. By the end of the meeting, each country team had produced an action plan on how to implement targeted programmes for vulnerable youth.
