International Literacy Day has been celebrated every September 8 since 1965, when it was first established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Many organizations and governments throughout the world take advantage of the day to consider the status of adult and child literacy, note progress, and identify work still to be done. In the US, the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) and other partners will mark International Literacy Day with a series of events in Washington, DC. State and local governments, literacy programs, and organizations also sponsor activities in their own communities.

For more information on International Literacy Day and on literacy itself, click on the links below.