The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) prepares the "Global Report on Adult Learning and Education" ("GRALE") every three years in order to strengthen understanding of 'where we stand' as a global community, and to address the growing need for youth and adult education. The present report draws on data from…

UIL has published a second edition of a collection of case studies of promising literacy programmes that seek to empower women. "Narrowing the Gender Gap: Empowering Women through Literacy Programmes" (originally published in 2013 as "Literacy Programmes with a Focus on Women to Reduce Gender Disparities") responds to the…

This report analyzes the initial results of UNESCO's Experimental World Literacy Programme and makes recommendations for future action. The meaning of functional literacy is discussed, and pilot projects in twelve countries are briefly described. The analysis reveals that the programme has fallen seriously behind schedule, that the number of adult…

Many countries have recently launched massive programs to promote nation-wide adult literacy, but while these efforts have been commendable, it has been observed that neo-literates who acquire literacy through such programs have great difficulty in retaining it; hence an urgent need to develop suitable programs of post-literacy and continuing…