There are nearly one billion adults who cannot read and write, according to UNESCO statistics. Most of these are people living in extreme poverty, almost two-thirds are women, and nearly one in five is a young person aged between 15 and 24. The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) believes that there are five compelling practical reasons for governments and donors to invest now in adult literacy: (1) Literacy is vital to reducing gender inequality; (2) Adult literacy is critical for the healthy development and education of children, especially girls; (3) Literacy is vital to human and economic development; (4) Literacy is vital for fighting AIDS; and (5) Adult literacy programs work. GCE and ActionAid have recently published "Writing the Wrongs: International Benchmarks on Adult Literacy." This work, undertaken by David Archer and Yaikah Jeng, argues that present under-investment in adult literacy is a global scandal. This publication, based on detailed analysis of 67 successful literacy programs in 35 countries, shows that there is a strong consensus about what policy makers and practitioners should do. Insights from this work have been compiled into 12 simple benchmarks to guide future work and catalyse new investment in adult literacy. (Contains 1 endnote and an editorial note that provides a glossary of materials, people, and events cited in the two papers by David Archer.)