The global mid-term evaluation report on UNESCO’s Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE, 2006-2015), produced by UIL on the basis of national and regional mid-term evaluation processes and reports, is now available online. It seeks to contribute to the effective implementation of the initiative through to 2015.

The report shows mixed results with regard to progress in literacy. The majority of the 35 LIFE countries recorded an increase in adult literacy rates – by on average 3.1 percentage points compared to the global average of 1.9 percentage points over the...

The book gives an account of the research conducted in the independent evaluation of the New Opportunities Initiative (NOI), one of the largest Portuguese governmental programmes in recent decades to upgrade qualifications. The NOI demonstrates that the recognition of non-formal and informal learning is crucial in order to improve the competences needed in our societies today. This book reflects on the NOI and its potential for societies in Europe and the rest of the world.

The publication is based on a solid foundation of empirical evidence, encompassing seven papers subjected...

UIL and ADEA present the results of a comprehensive stocktaking research project that assesses the experiences of mother tongue and bilingual formal and non-formal education in 25 sub-Saharan African countries as well as the creation of multilingual literate environments.

The authors of the study highlight that improvements in educational quality and learning outcomes derive from strong multilingual language models and socio-culturally relevant curricula which use African languages as media of instruction for at least six years. Further, they make the case that locally-based...

Adult education is now considered a mainstream academic discipline in several African countries, and its importance in today’s knowledge and “ideas” economies is growing steadily. It is provided by organisations such as public universities, training colleges, corporate universities and employers. The successful operation of educational organisations requires sound leadership and management. Management of Adult Education Organisations in Africa examines African perspectives of managerial leadership, highlighting the importance of management in the design and effective...

Since literacy is a fundamental right for all, how can one explain that 62 per cent of women in Africa are denied the right to literacy? How can current trends be changed to prevent nearly 800 million adults, among whom a high proportion of women are still illiterate in 2015?

While there is a willingness on the part of stakeholders to meet international commitments on gender equality and the empowerment of women, efforts remain insufficient in light of the scale of the challenge.UIL is addressing this issue through capacity building for literacy and gender research. It has adopted...

This book is an outcome of the Shanghai International Forum on Lifelong Learning co-organised by UNESCO, the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, the Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy and the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO. The Forum took place in Shanghai during the World Expo 2010, from 19 to 21 May.

The 24 papers collected here document the debates and discussions led by experts from across the world. The papers are grouped into five themes, recounting first how lifelong learning has evolved conceptually and then how policy has developed in its...

In a 1953 landmark publication, UNESCO underscored the importance of educating children in their mother-tongue (UNESCO, 1953). Yet, more than 50 years since the first UNESCO statement, and despite a plethora of books, articles, numerous conventions, declarations and recommendations addressing this issue, including a range of conclusive experiments of using local languages in education and polity, most African countries continue to use the former colonial language as the primary language of instruction and governance. This advocacy brief seeks to show the pivotal role of languages in...

The Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) was held at in Belém do Pará, Brazil, from 1 to 4 December 2009. It was organised on behalf of UNESCO by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Brazil. A total of 1,125 participants from 144 countries attended, including 55 Ministers and Deputy Ministers and 16 Ambassadors and Permanent UNESCO Delegates. There were also representatives of UN agencies, inter-governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and foundations, as well as learners’ associations. The...

‘The recent development of lifelong learning policies in many UNESCO Member States has shown that there is a growing demand for the knowledge, skills and competences acquired by adults and young people over the course of their lives to be evaluated and accredited within different contexts: work, education, family life, community and society,’ says Arne Carlsen, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.

Alongside established systems for recognizing formal learning, some Member States have developed mechanisms to...

The Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE 2006-2015) is one of UNESCO’s three flagship initiatives dedicated to tackling illiteracy, advancing the EFA agenda and achieving the goals of the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD – 2003-2012). The LIFE initiative targets 35 countries that are home to 85 % of the world’s population deprived of literacy competencies. It is built on genuine commitment and provides a new vision and course of action. Now that the initiative has been in place for three years, a major review has been published to take stock, assess its achievements, identify...