This year, International Literacy Day (ILD) will be celebrated under the theme of “Promoting literacy in the digital era.”

Digitalisation has been changing ways in which we learn, live, work and socialise, in both positive and negative ways, depending on how we engage with it. While digital tools can help expand learning opportunities for marginalised groups, including 739 million young people and adults who lack basic literacy skills, this digital shift also risks creating double marginalisation – exclusion not only from traditional literacy learning but also from the benefits of the digital age. Digitalisation also raises other concerns, including privacy issues, privacy, digital surveillance, reinforced biases, ethics, the risk of passive consumption, and environmental impacts.

Literacy is a key for making these transformations inclusive, relevant and meaningful. Beyond reading and writing on paper, literacy in the digital era enables people to access, understand, evaluate, create, communicate and engage with digital content safely and appropriately. Literacy is also central for fostering critical thinking, discerning credible information and navigating complex information environments. 

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On 8 September, ILD2025 will celebrate progress in literacy at the global, regional, national and local levels. It will be an opportunity for critical reflection on what literacy means today, and how literacy teaching and learning, programmes and policies are designed, managed and monitored in this digital era. In addition, ILD2025 will spotlight effective policies and interventions that promote literacy as a common good and a human right – and as a lever for empowerment and transformation to build more inclusive, just and sustainable societies.   

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A global conference will take place on 8 September at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France. Read the programme and register.