The prize is awarded to the Community Education Administration Centre, Longsheng Ethnic Minority Autonomous County, situated in a remote, rural and mountainous area located in the north-east of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Region has a large ethnic population and a high illiteracy rate among its women.

"The center notably put in place a wide system of rural education, including the hygiene elements, the technological faculties and creative activities which are destined for women of all the ages, cultures and traditions," according to a statement issued by the organization.

"The literacy rate among women has been greatly increased," the organization added.

The UNESCO prizes are awarded annually in recognition of particularly effective contributions to the fight against illiteracy, one of UNESCO's priorities. They call attention to the efforts of thousands of men and women who devote themselves year after year to advancing the cause of literacy for all.

The award ceremony will take place on 10 September 2007 in Bamako, capital of Mali during the African Regional Conference in Support of Global Literacy.