[MLE] [Literacy] Global Literacy, Build Free Societies Through Literacy

Dear MLE Interest group,
From the below I understand that India will be represented at a consultation
on literacy organised by the first lady of the US. Read on if you want more
details.

Shalom,
Karsten
Karsten van Riezen
Education Consultant, SIL Int.
Education Consultant, UNESCO Delhi
Director
SIL, South Asia Group.
-----Original Message-----
From: U.S.Department of State Fact Sheets [mailto:DOSFACTS@LISTS.STATE.GOV]
On Behalf Of statelists@STATE.GOV
Sent: Friday, September 22, 2006 8:29 PM
To: DOSFACTS@LISTS.STATE.GOV
Subject: Encouraging International Cooperation To Change Lives, Build Free
Societies Through Literacy
Fact Sheet
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
Washington, DC
September 18, 2006

Encouraging International Cooperation To Change Lives, Build Free Societies
Through Literacy


The White House Conference on Global Literacy

On September 18, Mrs. Laura Bush Will Host The First-Ever White House
Conference On Global Literacy At The New York Public Library In New York
City.
The Conference will highlight a variety of successful literacy programs and
encourage sustained global and country-level leadership to promote literacy.


  * Mrs. Bush Continues To Underscore The President's Commitment To Building
Free Societies Through Literacy. The White House Conference on Global
Literacy is a result of Mrs. Bush's visits to countries around the world
where she witnessed the power of literacy to improve lives, especially
for
women and girls.

  * By Sharing Best Practices, Nations Will Learn From Each Other And Turn
Good
Ideas Into Successful Programs. Panel presentations at the White House
Conference will showcase literacy programs now being used in
transitioning
and developing countries with high illiteracy rates, including some of
the
work that the U.S. government, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and private/local entities have
supported
around the world. The Conference will illustrate to First Ladies, First
Spouses, Ministers of Education, and national decision- makers from all
over the world that these successful literacy programs can easily be
replicated in their countries.

  * The White House Conference Will Urge Continuation Of This Important Work
With Regional Conferences In Other Nations. Building on the work of the
White House Conference on Global Literacy, UNESCO will host a series of
regional conferences. Within the framework of the U.N. Literacy Decade
and
UNESCO's Literacy Initiative For Empowerment (LIFE), the regional
conferences will address literacy challenges specific to various
regions.
They will gather regional experiences, disseminate effective practices,
create cooperation among stakeholders, mobilize partners and resources,
and
promote literacy.

The White House Panels Will Focus On Three Vital Areas For Literacy


  * Mother-Child Literacy And Intergenerational Learning ensures that as
mothers - our first teachers - learn to read, they can impart those
skills
to their children, beginning a cycle of literacy that continues from one
generation to the next.

  * Literacy For Health ensures that adults can make informed, wise
decisions
to protect the health of their families.

  * Literacy For Economic Self-Sufficiency ensures that adults, especially
women, ­can learn basic business skills that generate income, foster
independence, and boost local economies.

Background: Illiteracy Is A Global Challenge

According to UNESCO, more than 771 million adults around the world cannot
read.
Eighty-five percent of them live in just 35 countries, concentrated in
regions of poverty. More than two-thirds of these illiterate adults are
women.


  * The U.S. Is Committed To Literacy With Our Global Partners. As Honorary
Ambassador for the U.N. Literacy Decade, Mrs. Bush will host the White
House Conference on Global Literacy in partnership with the U.S.
Department
of State, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Agency for International
Development and U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

  * International Representation at The White House Conference. Panelists
and
moderators at the Conference will represent Mali, South Africa,
Afghanistan, Bolivia, Egypt, Brazil, India and Burkina Faso. Over 30
nations will be represented by their First Spouse and over 40 nations
will
be represented by their Ministers of Education.

For more information, please visit http://www.globalliteracy.gov/.
***********************************************************
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