UNICEF has said, nearly 30 percent of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in countries affected by conflict and disaster are illiterate, triple the global rate. <br/><br/>The UN children's agency said in a new study that among these 59 million young people, girls are at the biggest disadvantage when it comes to getting an education. <br/><br/>It said, four impoverished African countries with a long history of instability had the highest rates of young people unable to read or write — Niger with 76 percent, Chad with 69 percent, South Sudan with 68 percent and the Central African Republic with 64 percent.<br/>'<br/>UNICEF's new executive director, Henrietta Fore said these numbers are a stark reminder of the tragic impact that crises have on children's education, their futures, and the stability and growth of their economies and societies.<br/>