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High-Level Launch Event Of The International Decade Of Indigenous Languages

UNESCO, in co-operation with the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the members of Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages, will organize and host a High-level launch event on 13 December 2022 from 10.00 to 18.00 (Central European Time) at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France (Room II).

The High-level launch event will primarily target high level representatives of UNESCO Member States, Indigenous leaders, the UN system, civil society national researcher organizations and representatives from the public and private sector.

The High-level launch will:

  • Mark the launch of the International Decade of Indigenous languages and raise awareness primarily among duty bearers on the critical situation of Indigenous languages around the world,
  • Foster international cooperation, sharing of experiences and creation of multistakeholder partnerships for the preservation, revitalization and promotion of Indigenous languages,
  • Reflect on immediate actions to be taken by all actors to implement the Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (UNESCO 41 C/INF.14).

The event will provide an open space for discussion, sharing of good practices, and presentation of concrete projects. It will also feature a cultural performance by Indigenous artists. A global social media campaign is being carried out in conjunction with the launch event, to increase awareness about the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

Register here by Dec. 6!

Interpretation services

  • Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French, Spanish and Russian.
  • Live Captioning Services will be provided in English.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the chair at fmhult@umbc.edu or the vice chair at tonkin@hartford.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

Language and Minority Rights: A Dialogue Forum with the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues

The United Nations Charter (Article 1) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 2) affirm the right to non-discrimination based on language while the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (Article 2) asserts that persons belonging to minorities have the right to “use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination.”  Yet linguistic minorities throughout the world continue to experience challenges to their language rights as well as inequitable access to other civil and human rights.

In this session, current Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes will discuss the intersection of language and minority rights, including implementational challenges and possibilities. Representatives of NGOs, Secretariat and UN agency staff, colleagues from Member States, scholars, and others interested in linguistic minority rights are invited to participate in an open dialogue with the Special Rapporteur.

Register here by November 27!

About the Special Rapporteur:

Professor Fernand de Varennes, a globally recognized expert on linguistic and human rights, has served as the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues since 2017 Reporting to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur promotes the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and guides the work of the Forum on Minority Issues, among other responsibilities.

Programme:

  • 8:45 – 9:00am  Sign In
  • 9:00 – 9:05am  Introduction – Francis M. Hult, Chair, Committee on Language and Languages
  • 9:05 – 9:35am  Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues
  • 9:35 – 9:55am  Open Dialogue
  • 9:55 – 10:00am  Closing Remarks – Humphrey Tonkin, Vice-Chair, Committee on Language and Languages

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Language and Languages is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. For more information, please email the chair at fmhult@umbc.edu. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. 

[UN Observance] Arabic Language Day

Annually on December 18, the United Nations commemorates Arabic Language Day. To learn about why we mark this observance, and how to participate in 2020’s events, check un.org/ar/events/arabiclanguageday/index.shtml.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. 

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