Ms Laura Bush, former First Lady of the United States of America, was designated UNESCO Honorary Ambassador for the Decade of Literacy in February 2003. This title was bestowed upon her in recognition of her commitment to promote reading and universal education and literacy.

In her capacity as a UNESCO Honorary Ambassador for the Decade of Literacy, she supported UNESCO’s activities in the field of education, contributing to the success of numerous events and conferences on Global Literacy in the United States of America and across the world. 

In February 2005, Ms Bush paid tribute to UNESCO’s activities to eliminate gender disparities in access to primary and secondary education in a conference entitled “The United States, UNESCO and Education for All, Calling Education to a Higher Calling”, which was held at Georgetown University, in Washington D.C.

In addition, Ms Laura Bush encouraged the creation of UNESCO Regional Literacy Conferences, organised in follow-up of the White House Conference on Global Literacy she organised on September 2006.

In September 2010, she celebrated International Literacy Day held at the United Nations Headquarters.