Video Fix: 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages

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In November 2016 the United Nations General Assembly passed a Resolution (Ref. A/RES/71/178) on the “Rights of indigenous peoples”, proclaiming 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages and calling for the preservation, promotion and revitalization of endangered languages. In an effort to face up to challenges posed by the critical loss of indigenous languages, the UNESCO was invited to “serve as a lead agency for the Year” by acting upon ensuring linguistic diversity and fostering intercultural dialogue.

In the preparations for the 2019 International Year, a range of stakeholders designed an Action Plan providing the guidelines to the joint collaborative action. The International Year will have activities taking place according to three thematic areas:

  • Support for the revitalization of indigenous languages, by improvement of its everyday use through measures that guarantee more materials, expanded content and a wider range of services;
  • Preservation of indigenous languages, by ensuring access to education, information and knowledge in and about indigenous languages;
  • Mainstreaming the knowledge areas of indigenous peoples within broader sociocultural domains, by providing enhanced access and empowerment for indigenous language speakers through use of specific language technologies and other relevant methods of communication and information.

 

 


Sources:

  • UNESCO. (2018). 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages. [online] Available at: https://en.unesco.org/IY2019 [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018].
  • UNESCO. (2018). United Nations General Assembly proclaims 2019 as the International Year of indigenous Languages and invites UNESCO to take the lead | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. [online] Available at: https://bit.ly/2hcPxCW [Accessed 11 Apr. 2018].

Written by Ilie Arnoud da Silva – Study visitor at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament and student of the Master programme in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts at the University of Luxembourg.