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E-9 countries have a key role to play in promoting literacy and adult learning, given that nearly 70 per cent of world's illiterate adults live in these countries. In order to promote the implementation of LIFE and develop E-9 countries' capacities with regard to literacy and adult learning, UIL and INRULED held a Seminar on Literacy and Adult Learning in Rural areas in Beijing from 26 to 29 October 2009, in cooperation with the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO and Ministry of Education of China as well as UNESCO Beijing and UNESCO Bangkok.
The Seminar will undoubtedly act as a milestone in the E-9 Initiative and in the implementation of LIFE. It brought together national focal points for the E-9 initiative and LIFE national focal points from most of the E-9 countries, moreover, it was also joined by government officials and specialists in charge of literacy and adult learning from all of the E-9 countries, as well as representatives of UNICEF, FAO, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and ASPBAE, colleagues from UNESCO Headquarters, two regional bureaus and seven field offices, and a number of key resource persons.
The seminar had achieved its aims by reviewing the strategies, progress and challenges for implementing LIFE, sharing experiences and best practices for the promotion of literacy and adult learning in rural areas, discussing future strategies for mobilizing commitment and resources facing the global financial crisis, and developing mechanisms for South-South cooperation in the field of literacy and adult learning. In addition, the experience of China, through presentation of several cases studies and a field visit to Yanqing, inspired the exchange of knowledge and innovation practices for the promotion of adult learning in the rural areas.
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