National Adult Literacy Database

This is a report prepared by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada for the 6th International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI). CONFINTEA VI is a UNESCO-led intergovernmental conference for policy dialogue and assessment on adult learning and education, hosted by Brazil in May 2009.

The member states of UNESCO have been requested to prepare reports on developments in adult learning and education since 1997 (CONFINTEA V), including the current state of the art and future challenges. The focus of the report is on policies, research and effective practices in literacy, non-formal education, adult education and lifelong learning.

This document has been prepared according to the guidelines provided by UNESCO and includes the following sections:

- an introductory demographic overview
- four major themes: policy, legislation and financing; quality of adult learning and education; provision, participation and achievement; research, innovation and good practices; and adult literacy;
- expectations for CONFINTEA VI and the future of adult learning and education.