The inaugural World Literacy Summit was held in Oxford, United Kingdom, from April 1-4 2012. Thank you to all who attended, participated in, and supported the event, which proved to be a wonderful success. The Summit saw over 200 participants from almost 50 countries converge on Oxford for an action-packed four days of discussion, debate and conversation. Over 65 speakers delivered presentations in 33 individual plenary and breakout sessions.

The important event was a global initiative that served to build greater awareness of the international literacy crisis and created a platform for delegates to collaborate, share ideas, learn from one another and unite in a call to action and a plan for change. All delegates contributed to the Oxford Declaration, which provides leverage to fund, plan, operate and measure work in literacy.

The global literacy crisis is a challenge that will not be easily overcome, and by no means were the problems associated with the crisis solved in four days. However, the foundations have been laid and important steps have been outlined that will enable effective and important progress to be built upon.

The 2012 World Literacy Summit provided us with a significant opportunity to improve the lives of millions of people, particularly children, and help them move from a world of poverty to literacy to a future of greater health and economic prosperity.

Thanks to E3 Imagine, a gallery of fantastic photos from the World Literacy Summit is available here.

Stay tuned to www.worldliteracyfoundation.org for exciting announcements relating to future World Literacy Summit events!