This year’s theme, Literacy for Empowerment, highlights the staggering 776 million – or one in five - adults worldwide who still lack basic reading and writing skills. Two thirds of them are women.

2009’s International Literacy Prizes go to innovative literacy projects from: India, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Philippines and Bhutan.

Also taking place will be the launching of the 2009 tour by the ‘Camion des Mots’ (word truck), a French initiative which brings educative tools to children living in areas of educational priority throughout the country.

The truck, kitted out as a mobile computer classroom, tours France each year and children aged 8 to 15 test their knowledge of the French language using fun interactive computer games. It is a joint enterprise between the French magazines Lire and L’Express, the MAIF insurance company, France 3 and the French Ministries of National Education and Culture and Communication

This will be the fifth tour for the truck since its start in 2005 and so far it has reached 150,000 students and 5000 teachers. It will be stationed outside UNESCO Headquarters in Place Fontenoy, Paris on the morning of September 8.

Literacy Day will also include a symbolic presentation of pens and notebooks by children taking part in ‘Un cahier, un crayon’ (an exercise book, a pencil), an initiative to collect and distribute basic educational materials in Burkina Faso mounted by humanitarian organisation Solidarité Laique, insurance companies MAIF and MAE, Radio France Internationale and Milan-Presse.

In the afternoon the distinguished adult education expert Professor Lalage Bown will give the International Literacy Day Lecture on the theme of empowerment. The day will end with a round table in the 60 Minutes to Convince series featuring contributions from the winners of the 2009 literacy prizes

Related Links:   
See the photogallery    
UNESCO Literacy Day 2009
Message from Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO
UN Secretary-General message for International Literacy Day
Message from the Holy See (in French) 
World Association of News Papers Presse Release (WAN)
UN chief calls for greater commitment to boost literacy on International Day
Camion des Mots (in French)
Un cahier, un crayon (in French)