This year’s International Literacy Day, celebrated world-wide on 8 September, focused on the link between literacy and peace. During a ceremony in New Delhi, India, UNESCO awarded the international Confucius and King Sejong literacy prizes to projects in Burundi, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the United States of America.

Also in New Delhi, an international conference on Women’s Literacy for Inclusive and Sustainable Development was organized by UNESCO’s E9 initiative, from 8 to 10 September.

On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

Despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: some 793 million adults lack minimum literacy skills which means that about one in six adults is still not literate; 67.4 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.