On the eve of CONFINTEA VI, discussion and debates on promoting literacy is being revived. However, in most cases, the discussion limits itself to the definitional nuances of literacy and falls short of critiquing the global policy making inertia that violates the human rights obligations to the millions of adults remaining illiterate. This article examines the definitional dilemma of literacy and the magnitude of the challenge of illiteracy. Second, it examines how the policy making process has moved beyond the nation states to global alliances, thereby diluting the social contract between the citizen and the state. Third, it delineates how literacy has become a relegated priority within the EFA framework. Fourth, it tracks the gap between promises and performances since CONFINTEA V. Finally, it proposes an agenda for action for civil society at national, regional and international level. (Contains 1 note.)