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...

What has happened in Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of education, and of adult learning and education (ALE) in particular, since CONFINTEA V (Hamburg, 1997)? Are there quantitative and qualitative advances in relation to the major tasks and challenges identified over a decade ago? Who are the new actors intervening in the field? Are renewed thinking and strategies in place? How has the expansion of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) affected the field? What have been the lessons learned over the past decade? What are the main issues, trends, and challenges...

This paper summarizes developments in adult learning and education in the Arab States after CONFINTEA V. It includes a summary of trends and challenges that continue to face the region in implementing lifelong learning strategies.

The State and Development of Adult Learning and Education in the Arab States (PDF, 0.2 MB)

Available in Arabic: (PDF, 3,51) حالة وتطور تعلم وتعليم الكبار في الدول...

This regional report covers developments in adult learning and education (ALE) in the UNESCO region of Europe, North America and Israel , as reported by the Member States. It contributes to the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE) for CONFINTEA V1 2009.

Download: The state and development of adult learning and education in Europe, North America and Israel (PDF; 0.3 MB)

This paper is the regional synthesis report for the Asia-Pacific Region, presented and considered at the Asia Pacific Regional Conference, 6-8 October 2008, Seoul, Republic of Korea. This was one of five regional preparatory conferences preceding the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) to be held 19-22 May 2009 in Belem, Brazil. The theme of CONFINTEA VI is Living and Learning for a Viable Future – The Power of Adult Learning. This synthesis report has been prepared on the basis of national reports and other relevant materials on the development and state...