Thaindian News

New York, Sep 8 (IANS/WAM) Literacy unlocks the capacity of individuals to imagine and create a more fulfilling future, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.

It opens the way to greater justice, equality and progress and can help societies heal, advance political processes and contribute to the common good, he said in a message on International Literacy Day.

This year’s commemoration of the Day on the theme “Literacy and Peace” offers an important reminder that the critical tasks of preventing violence, calming tensions and ending conflicts demand attention to this fundamental aspect of human dignity, Ban said.

However, despite progress, illiteracy continues to afflict millions of people, especially women and girls, he said.

In 2009, about two-thirds of the world’s estimated 793 million illiterate adults were female. In the same year, some 67 million primary-school-aged children and 72 million adolescents were denied their right to an education.

The costs are enormous. Illiteracy exacerbates cycles of poverty, ill health and deprivation. It weakens communities and undermines democratic processes through marginalization and exclusion, the secretary general said.

He declared that International Literacy Day is an opportunity for the world to reaffirm its commitment to the goal of ensuring that all people can read and write. In the process, the inherent individual dignity will be enhanced and the universal goal of peace will be advanced.

–IANS/WAM
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