New York-The United Nations General Assembly has named 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The UN typically chooses a different topic each year to raise awareness about issues that have an international impact.
In this case, the UN's intention is to highlight the need to preserve, revitalize and promote the use of the world's estimated 7,000 Indigenous languages-2,680 of which are considered to be in danger.
"Languages play a crucial role in the daily lives of people, not only as a tool for communication, education, social integration and development, but also as a repository for each person's unique identity, cultural history, traditions and memory," the UN said in a news release.
A statement by the UN further points out:
"Through language, people preserve their community's history, customs and traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking, meaning and expression. They also use it to construct their future. Language is pivotal in the areas of human rights protection, good governance, peace building, reconciliation, and sustainable development. . . . Many of us take it for granted that we can conduct our lives in our home languages without any constraints or prejudice. But this is not the case for everyone.
"Of the almost 7,000 existing languages, the majority have been created and are spoken by indigenous peoples who represent the greater part of the world's cultural diversity. Yet many of these languages are disappearing at an alarming rate, as the communities speaking them are confronted with assimilation, enforced relocation, educational disadvantage, poverty, illiteracy, migration and other forms of discrimination and human rights violations.
"Given the complex systems of knowledge and culture developed and accumulated by these local languages over thousands of years, their disappearance would amount to losing a kind of cultural treasure. It would deprive us of the rich diversity they add to our world and the ecological, economic and sociocultural contribution they make.
"More importantly, their loss would have a huge negative impact on the indigenous cultures concerned. It is for this reason and others that the United Nations chose to dedicate a whole year to indigenous languages, to encourage urgent action to preserve, revitalize and promote them."
Throughout the year, activities will focus on these themes:
• Supporting the revitalisation and maintenance of indigenous languages through: creation of more materials and content and a wider range of services, using language, information and communications technologies (Support)
• Preserving indigenous languages, creating access to education, information and knowledge in and about indigenous languages for indigenous children, young people and adults, improving the data collection and sharing of information (Access)
• Mainstreaming the knowledge areas and values of indigenous peoples and cultures within broader sociocultural, economic and political domains, as well as cultural practices such as traditional sports and games (Promotion).
The year also will focus on five intervention areas:
Increasing understanding, reconciliation and international cooperation
Creation of favourable conditions for knowledge-sharing and dissemination of good practices with regard to indigenous languages
Integration of indigenous languages into standard-setting
Empowerment through capacity-building
Growth and development through elaboration of new knowledge
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the lead UN agency coordinating the year's events, activities and mission. More ongoing information is available on their website at https://en.iyil2019.org.
