Linguistic diversity characterizes many countries with large literacy needs. Meeting these needs will require a multilingual approach based on learning initial literacy in the learner's mother tongue, with other languages used subsequently. This article identifies five major challenges in implementing multilingual programmes and traces the international policy developments over the 15 years of the EFA period. Four case studies--Mexico, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, and Senegal--illustrate a range of policies with differing approaches and levels of commitment to providing multilingual literacy opportunities. The article concludes with six policy orientations to guide action as part of the post-2015 agenda.