A collection of short stories by prominent authors and Education for All (EFA) advocates including Nelson Mandela, Queen Rania of Jordan and Paulo Coelho has been compiled. The stories have a common aim: drawing attention to the benefits of literacy and illustrating how education positively impacts lives.

Big Read events were organized during which individuals read the stories and signed a statement calling for greater commitment and investment to ensure that everyone is able to read and write.

The stories are available to download here in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

Global Action Week is an annual worldwide advocacy campaign organized by the Global Campaign for Education, an international coalition of NGOs and teacher unions, to remind the international community of their commitment to achieve the six EFA goals by 2015, and thus provide basic education for all children, youth and adults.

UNESCO, as coordinator of the EFA movement and of the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012), supports this campaign and has been organizing activities around the world related to The Big Read. UNESCO: The Big Read

27 April 2009