![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/files\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-06-100705.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
UNESCO International Literacy Day 2024 Poster<\/a><\/p>\n In just a few weeks, Heads of State and Government from around the world will come together at the UN Headquarters and agree to a Pact for the Future<\/a>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Pact will reaffirm global commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, universal human rights, and other key international agreements. It will reaffirm belief in a more sustainable, just, peaceful, inclusive and resilient future. To get there requires a recommitment to multilateralism, that is, a willingness to work together, build trust, and face common challenges. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Critically, it will call for partnership with all stakeholders. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So why are we talking about the Pact for the Future on International Literacy Day<\/a>?<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n This year, UNESCO calls on the international community to reflect on how literacy, and multilingual education<\/strong>,\u00a0can accelerate mutual understanding and peace. This aligns with the action areas that world leaders will likely agree to at the Summit. Some of these actions will likely include: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Building literacy of all kinds has a role to play in all the above \u2013 and without libraries, policymakers are missing a crucial part of the equation<\/strong>.\u00a0Literacy is close to the heart of the library field. A love for reading, for language, and the ability to understand and share information\u00a0is at our profession’s core. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As world leaders are committing to cooperating multilaterally and in partnership with all stakeholders<\/strong> to achieve these goals, the global library field should consider the role they play.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For International Literacy Day, let’s look at a few important aspects of literacy, and reflect on how libraries help governments uphold the commitments they are about to make at the Summit for the Future. <\/span><\/p>\n According to the <\/span>IFLA-UNESCO Multicultural Library Manifesto<\/span><\/a> (2012), libraries address cultural and linguistic diversity by: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Catch up with IFLA’s Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section<\/a> for recent <\/span>activities of libraries around the world in connecting with their multicultural communities in their <\/span>June 2024 newsletter<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In terms of multilingual education, accessing materials in diverse languages within the public, school, or university library is a powerful aspect of social inclusion<\/strong>. Especially for libraries serving multicultural communities, and communities with newcomers that are adapting to a new language, this can make all the difference. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cChildren and a volunteer at the storytelling session during the kidsREAD programme \u201d by National Library Board is licensed under CC BY 4.0<\/p><\/div>\n National Library Board, Singapore: kidsREAD <\/strong><\/p>\n This is a nationwide community-based reading programme that promotes early reading and English language competence for children from different ethnic groups. This programme is an opportunity for access to early learning and development support to set disadvantaged children up for success in their ongoing education. Read more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n In drafting the Pact for the Future, policymakers recoginise the roles that access to knowledge, cultural rights, fundamental freedoms, and science, technology and innovation play. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is important to stress that literacy skills are fundamental<\/strong> for enabling all people to benefit from all the above. \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Libraries actively work to support these cornerstones of peaceful, just and inclusive societies. No where is this more important than in efforts to ensure no one, and especially not traditionally marginalised communities, is left behind. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s Read volunteer translators at the translation event \u201d by The Asia Foundation is licensed under CC BY 4.0<\/p><\/div>\n Myanmar Library Association\u2019s volunteers help to increase access to reading and learning about sustainable development.<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s Read<\/b><\/a>\u00a0is Asia\u2019s free digital library of relatable, local-language books accessible to all children. The programme aims to nurture reading habits and enable children to reach important developmental milestones, encourage families to share stories that affirm their culture,<\/strong> and support communities to flourish and grow inclusively. The library offers a variety of books that allow children to acquire knowledge on topics such as gender equality, sustainability, environment and climate action, diversity, empathy and STEAM<\/strong>.\u00a0 Read more<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Beyond information literacy, we can observe today the increasing importance of digital literacy, not just as means to acquire information and develop knowledge but also as a tool for building trust and resilience<\/strong> in the face of challenges that threaten peace. This aligns with the UN\u2019s new Global Principles for Information Integrity<\/a>, which represent a major step in highlighting the importance of access to quality information<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Multilingual education in the digital context is equally important as today we live in a state of constant interconnectedness<\/strong>, so besides equipping individuals with essential 21<\/span>st<\/span> century skills to navigate the digital realm, it also empowers them to communicate across linguistic and cultural barriers. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As misinformation<\/strong> increasingly spreads across many online platforms, this type of literacy will become fundamental to preserve cultural identities, promoting inclusion and allowing individuals from different backgrounds to participate fully in society.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWomen at the computer literacy club \u201d by Erriadh Public Library is licensed under CC BY 4.0<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0Tunisian library\u2019s digital skills course promotes opportunities for women\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Tunisia faces a high illiteracy rate linked to early school leavers. This has become a contributing factor to a high unemployment rate, which heavily affects women. The Erriadh Public Library<\/strong>, located on the island of Djerba in southern Tunisia,\u00a0 has sought to help primarily illiterate women develop digital skills by launching a computer literacy club<\/strong>. <\/em><\/p>\n This initiative aimed to give those who had left school without skills a second chance to build their ability to find work by giving them the knowledge and support to become computer literate. The course placed a particular emphasis on inclusive life-long learning, gender equality, and access to decent jobs<\/strong> and economic development. Read more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n *************************************<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>All these stories are good practice examples of how literacy, from multilingual education to digital literacy, can help create a future we want:<\/strong> one that is more sustainable, just, peaceful, inclusive and resilient.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As world leaders meet at the Summit of the Future and reaffirm their belief in cooperation for this goal, library stakeholders, from individual institutions to library associations, are encouraged to take stock of how they can play a role<\/strong> \u2013 from literacy to digital skills and beyond.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Literacy, from multilingual education to digital literacy, can help create a future we want: one that is more sustainable, just, peaceful, inclusive and resilient future.\u00a0IFLA shares reflections on International Literacy Day 2024. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1038,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26551,33311,25,6898,26871,27502,170,18020],"class_list":["post-3732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-digital-literacy","tag-education-literacy","tag-information-literacy","tag-literacy","tag-multiculturalism","tag-peace","tag-unesco","tag-united-nations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1038"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3732"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3754,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3732\/revisions\/3754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Multilingual Education <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n
\n
\u00a0Multilingual Education in action:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/files\/2024\/09\/01_Singapore_kidsREAD-1024x684.jpg\")
\u00a0<\/span>Peaceful, just and inclusive societies<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n
Peaceful, just and inclusive societies in action:<\/h3>\n
![\"Woman](\"http:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/files\/2024\/09\/small_myanmar.png\")
\u00a0<\/span>Digital Literacy and Information Integrity <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n
\u00a0Literacy and Information Integrity in action:<\/h3>\n
![\"Woman](\"http:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/lpa\/files\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-06-095245-1024x678.png\")
\n