Celebrating literacy: 2024 UNESCO King Sejong laureate on cultural visit to Korea

The cultural training programme offered the laureate an inspiring experience of Korean heritage through a series of cultural excursions. The visit also coincided with the celebration of Hangul Day, on 9 October, honouring the creation and significance of the Korean alphabet created by King Sejong the Great in 1443. The Day's aim is to highlight the historical roots and modern contexts of Hangul and promote understanding and appreciation for Korea's rich linguistic and cultural legacy.

During the stay, the laureate visited iconic sites including Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House in English, consisting of several buildings designed in the traditional Korean architectural style,and Bukchon Han-ok Village, a residential neighborhood with many restored traditional Korean houses. He also explored the National Folk Museum of Korea and visited the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, in the company of Mr Kyung Koo HAN, Secretary-General of the National Commission.

Prior to this visit, three laureates had been awarded the 2024 UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize:

• The 'voXmi educational network'programme (Austria).
• The 'Libraries Without Walls'programme (Ghana).
• The 'ProEd Lecto Labs'programme (Panama).

All three were recognized for their innovative literacy programmes in their respective countries, each making unique contributions to multilingual education.

They received the Prize during an award ceremony organized in the context of the 2024 UNESCO International Literacy Day celebration in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on 9 and 10 September 2024, alongside three recipients of the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacyfrom Egypt, Indonesia, and Nigeria. The ceremony underscored the vital importance of multilingual education in fostering peace and inclusion, reinforcing UNESCO's commitment to promoting literacy as a fundamental human right.

The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize was established in 1989 with the support of the Government of the Republic of Korea. It is awarded to outstanding literacy programmes giving special consideration to mother language-based literacy development.