The Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) is a programme of action in support of the achievement of Education for All and a key operational mechanism to increase literacy learning opportunities within the framework of the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD). The LIFE initiative will be implemented in 35 countries with literacy rates of less than fifty percent or a population of more than 10 million persons without literacy competencies. Currently, 85% of the world population without literacy competencies and skills lives in these 35 countries. The majority of them are girls and women.

In Asia and the Pacific, the nine (9) countries participating in the LIFE initiative are:

1. Afghanistan,
2.  Bangladesh,
3. China, India,
4. Indonesia,
5. Iran, Nepal,
6. Pakistan and
7. Papua New Guinea.

These countries undertook preparatory work during 2005 to produce their respective Country Profiles, which cover literacy status,policies, strategies and practices. The Asia-Pacific Regional Planning Meeting on LIFE was organized by UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in close co-operation with UNESCO’s Islamabad Office and UNESCO Headquarters. The Meeting was held at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Islamabad, Pakistan, from March 20-22, 2006. The purpose of the meeting was to assist LIFE countries with the organization of preparatory activities for implementing the LIFE initiative.

Related documents:

  LIFE Strategy Paper (468.33 kB)

 Afganistan Country Profile (357 kB)
 Bangladesh Country Profile 1 (369.5 kB)
 Bangladesh Country Profile 3 (42.5 kB)
 China Country Profile (358.5 kB)
 Iran Country Profile (379.5 kB)
 Nepal Country Profile (373 kB)
 Pakistan Country Profile (380.5 kB)
 Regional LIFE Meeting 2006 - Report

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