(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions joins with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and many organizations around the globe to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World Teachers’ Day. The day honors the vital role that teachers play in the lives of their students. Every year since
(United Nations) The United Nations is looking to harness the benefits of science, technology and innovation to create jobs, end poverty, reduce inequality and address other challenges in sustainable development, senior officials today told UN partners in a special event during the 1,000 Days of Action
(MissionNewswire) From safe drinking water and healthy sanitation to agriculture, water is essential for life. Six to 8 million people die annually from the consequences of disasters and water-related diseases, according to the United Nations. Furthermore, 783 million people do not have access to
(MissionNewswire) Since 2005, the Salesian Youth Ministry in Brazil-Recife Province has held summer camp programs for poor youth. Each year a guide is published with advice on developing themes for each day of camp and practical activities for students. This year, the Salesian summer camp theme
(MissionNewswire) This December, a new fundraising campaign was launched promoted by Don Bosco in the World Foundation in support of the Happy Youngsters Project, run by Don Bosco City in Corumbá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. This project aims to keep youth off the streets afterschool by
(UNESCO) The 10th Education for All Global Monitoring Report, Putting Education to Work, published by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), reveals the urgent need to invest in skills for youth. In developing countries, 200 million people aged 15 to 24 have not
(MissionNewswire) On Monday, Sept. 24, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Salesians facilitated a panel discussion titled, “Empowering Youth to be Agents of Change in Eradicating Poverty.” Representatives of the Catholic Church, governments, and the Salesians presented their perspectives on the effectiveness and
(United Nations) With nearly 800 million people unable to read or write, the United Nations today marked International Literacy Day with a warning that illiteracy undermines efforts to eliminate a host of social ills such as poverty and sickness and threatens the very stability of nations.
“The costs are enormous,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a message. “Illiteracy exacerbates cycles of poverty, ill-health and deprivation. It weakens communities and undermines democratic processes through marginalization and exclusion. These and other impacts can combine to destabilize societies.”
This year’s Day is being commemorated under the theme “Literacy and Peace.”
Ban noted that despite progress, illiteracy continues to afflict millions of people, especially women and girls. In 2009, roughly two thirds of the world’s estimated 793 million illiterate adults were female. That same year, some 67 million primary school-aged children and 72 million adolescents were denied their right to an education, he added.
“Literacy unlocks the capacity of individuals to imagine and create a more fulfilling future. It opens the way to greater justice, equality and progress. Literacy can help societies heal, advance political processes and contribute to the common good,” he declared.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) noted that more than half the adults in 11 countries are illiterate. These are Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Haiti, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
“The world urgently needs increased political commitment to literacy backed by adequate resources to scale up effective programs,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said in a message.
“Today I urge governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector to make literacy a policy priority, so that every individual can develop their potential, and actively participate in shaping more sustainable, just and peaceful societies.”
About Salesian Missions at the United Nations
(MissionNewswire) During an address to Brazilian businessmen March 19, 2011, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, mentioned Don Bosco’s dream about the city of Brasilia. The president had been on a visit to Brazil to extend and improve political and commercial links between