UNESCO’s Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) is a global strategic framework for the implementation of the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012), in order to meet the Education for All (EFA) goals, with particular focus on adult literacy and out-of-school children.

It was created when it became apparent that existing literacy efforts would not be sufficient to achieve a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015.

LIFE targets the 35 countries that have a literacy rate of less than 50 percent or a population of more than 10 million people who cannot read nor write. Eighty-five percent of the world’s non-literate population resides in these countries, and two-thirds are women and girls.