UN marks Int'l Literacy Day

MANILA, Philippines - In celebration of International Literacy Day, the United Nations said that illiteracy “exacerbates the cycle of poverty” and hampers efforts to effect social progress.

“The costs are enormous,” said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a statement.

“Illiteracy exacerbates cycles of  poverty, ill-health and deprivation. It weakens communities and undermines democratic processes through  marginalization and exclusion. These and other impacts can combine to destabilize societies.” International Literacy Day is observed on Sept. 8. This year’s theme is “Literacy and Peace.”

Ban noted that 800 million people in the world are unable to write, many of them women.In 2009, two thirds of the world’s estimated 793 million illiterate adults were female. That same year, 67 million primary school-aged children and 72 million adolescents were denied access to education. “Literacy unlocks the capacity of individuals to imagine and create a more fulfilling future. It opens the way to greater justice, equality and progress. Literacy can help societies heal, advance political processes and contribute to the common good,” Ban said. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) noted that more than half of the adult population in the following countries are illiterate: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Haiti, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. “The world urgently needs increased political commitment to literacy backed by adequate resources to scale up effective programs,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said in a statement.