Pakistan will participate in Unesco regional conference on global literacy being organised by India's Ministry of Human Resource Development, with Unesco on November 29-30, 2007 in New Delhi.
Education and Finance Ministers of 14 countries of the region, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are among other dignitaries to attend.
First ladies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have been invited to participate. As goodwill ambassadors, first ladies would play a vital role to promote literacy in the region. UPA chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi will be chief guest of inaugural session.
The conference is of utmost importance for Unesco and its member states and partners in effort to achieve goals of Education for All (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and fulfil their commitments to United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) and Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD).
It is an important for Indo-Pak sub-continent as three highly populated countries among E-9 countries, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan continue to face major literacy challenges, including sheer number of illiterates.
In addition to a serious gender gap, there is a high urban-rural disparity. As a key instrument for lifelong learning, indispensable for effective participation in social, economic life and essential for peace, literacy is a crucial issue in region.
The main issues to be addressed in conference are, literacy and gender, literacy policies and strategies, costs and financing, programme content and delivery, monitoring and evaluation of literacy and coalition and partnership building for literacy and non formal education (NFE).