When advocating for the development of health literacy in health policies, it is necessary to consider the engagement of stakeholders who represents the most varied nations that participate in Health Conferences, more specifically the International Health Promotion Conferences.

After the highlight given at the 9th International Health Promotion Conference held in Shanghai in 2016, health literacy was then considered as one of the three pillars for health promotion development. Thus, it was understood that health literacy needs to expand from the personal level to the political level.

In this sense, waiting for some action to increase the inclusion of health literacy in the scenario of Brazilian health policies, it is necessary to investigate how this issue has been dealt with, mainly in the most recent planning and management instruments that guides the actions to be developed in the health system, such as the National Health Plan and the National Health Promotion Policy.

Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze how relevant health literacy comes from the composition of the guiding instruments of actions in the scope of the brazilian public health.

The applied methodology was the documentary analysis, where the National Health Plan (2020 - 2023) and the most recent edition of the National Health Promotion Policy (2017) were consulted.

The result shows that health literacy is not even considered in both National Health Plan and National Health Promotion Policy. Even when referenced by similar expressions such as “health education”, it does not come close to the essence of the concept that health literacy features.

Thus, the lack of health literacy in such instruments weakens its visibility and the importance of being known by managers who are directly related to the planning of actions.

Besides, it is worth noting the fact that, specifically at the 9th conference, there is a commitment to make bold political choices for health, including the prioritization of the development of health literacy in the policies of the participating countries.

Finally, it may be considered urgent that health literacy must be strengthened in an by health policies as a powerful tool for health promotion.