Policy
At the country level, UNESCO encourages the implementation of policies that are relevant to distinctive national contexts, in line with the commitments endorsed by the international community such as the six Education for All goals (EFA), especially Goal 3, Goal 4, Goal 5, and Goal 6, as well as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Plan of Action for the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD).
UNESCO also seeks to ensure that literacy is integrated into wider development frameworks such as the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), as well as the UNESCO National Education Support Strategy (UNESS).
Examples
UNESCO’s integrated approach to policy development is aligned with UNESCO’s Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE), an initiative created under the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD). UNLD targets the 35 countries with the highest rates or numbers of non-literate populations (more than 50 per cent or 10 million people); in line with the UNLD International Plan of Action, UNESCO facilitates the design of policy frameworks that promote a literate environment, with specific attention to the following:
Providing service while respecting diversity of context
- Promoting quality contents, pedagogical practices and the training of facilitators
- Creating rich and relevant literate environments with respect to gender, linguistic, and cultural diversity through diverse modes of delivery, including ICTs and Community Learning Centres
- Linking formal and non-formal approaches to education
- Creating synergies between governmental and non-governmental actors
- Promoting local community responsibility and management of programmes