The theme of International Literacy Day 2012 is Literacy and Peace. This theme was adopted by the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) to demonstrate the multiple uses and value that literacy brings to people.
Literacy contributes to peace as it brings people
closer to attaining individual freedoms and better understanding the
world, as well as preventing or resolving conflict. The connection
between literacy and peace can be seen by the fact that in unstable
democracies or in conflict-affected countries it is harder to establish
or sustain a literate environment.
Education
brings sustainability to all the development goals, and literacy is the
foundation of all learning. It provides individuals with the skills to
understand the world and shape it, to participate in democratic
processes and have a voice, and also to strengthen their cultural
identity. 
Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General
About the Day
For over 40 years now, UNESCO
has been celebrating International Literacy Day by reminding the
international community that literacy is a human right and the
foundation of all learning.
Why is Literacy important?
Literacy is a human right, a tool of personal
empowerment and a means for social and human development. Educational
opportunities depend on literacy.
Literacy is at the heart of basic education for all,
and essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality,
curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring
sustainable development, peace and democracy. There are good reasons why
literacy is at the core of Education for All (EFA).
A good quality basic education equips pupils with
literacy skills for life and further learning; literate parents are more
likely to send their children to school; literate people are better
able to access continuing educational opportunities; and literate
societies are better geared to meet pressing development.
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