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International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL2022-2032)

The International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032

Many of the languages used around the world are in danger of disappearing.  The fact that most of these are indigenous languages puts the knowledge systems and cultures to which they belong at risk. That is why the major objectives of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032 are to draw attention to the critical loss of Indigenous Languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages and to take urgent steps at the national and international levels. 

An emphasis is being put on the fact that indigenous languages contribute to and constitute a valuable legacy for humanity because of the role and relevance of language diversity and multilingualism in philosophy, heritage, the production of knowledge, the understanding of human relations and the natural world, as an essential part of building peace, good governance, sustainable development, social cohesion and peaceful coexistence within our societies. 

Those key principles, based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights and values of Indigenous peoples as indicated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, inspire the future Global Action Plan for the International Decade. 

In its resolution A/RES/71/178, on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Following the activities and the discussions undertaken during the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the recommendations and call for action by the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (E/2019/43-E/C.19/2019/10, para 22) and the Human Rights Council Expert Mechanisms for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/HRC/39/68), a consensus emerged about maintaining momentum through the continued engagement of Member States, indigenous peoples, civil society organizations, academia, public and private actors, UN system entities and other stakeholders.   

 

UNESCO Linguistic Diversity and Multilingualism in Cyberspace

 

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Information and knowledge are key determinants of wealth creation, social transformation and human development. Language is a vector for communicating information and knowledge that enables the delivery of messages coded in different socio-cultural contexts, and it facilitates the usage and externalization of ideas, experiences and practices. Thus, the opportunity to use one’s language on the Internet and in the public domain will determine the extent to which one can participate in emerging knowledge societies, and contribute to sustainable development, peacebuilding and reconciliation.  

In principle, the Internet is open to all languages of the world when certain technical conditions are met, and the necessary human and financial resources are in place. However, many non-dominant, lesser-used, minority and Indigenous languages are not present online, and in many countries access to public services in these languages is often not provided. There is a vast linguistic divide, which exists in cyberspace as much as in society at large, and this will only exacerbate the digital gap, excluding users of these languages from societal participation, having a negative impact on the realization of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.  

Everyone therefore should have access to a multilingual Internet and have the right to participate in all relevant areas of life, including education, healthcare, employment, justice, and science, in languages which they understand best. UNESCO is convinced that linguistic diversity and multilingualism have a key role to play in fostering pluralistic, equitable, open and inclusive knowledge societies. The Organization is actively involved in the following actions: 

  • Promotion of human rights framework and application of the normative instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Access to Cyberspace (2003), the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) and other normative instruments. 

  • Development of inclusive and evidence-based language policies, tools and resources for the assessment, support and promotion of linguistic diversity and multilingualism. Special attention is placed on the elaboration of inclusive, innovative and interdisciplinary methodological frameworks, guidelines and practical tools in order to equip UNESCO Member States and other relevant stakeholders with the capacity to develop comprehensive language-related policies, to allocate resources and apply appropriate tools to promote and facilitate linguistic diversity and multilingualism, including on the Internet and media;  

  • Capacity building aims at strengthening national and regional institutional capacities to encourage the implementation of language policies, apply innovative solutions to language promotion, to the production of learning tools and training materials, as well as to raise awareness on the importance of languages. In this respect, the Organization supports the inclusion of new languages in the digital world and in the public domain, the creation and dissemination of content in local languages online and offline, and encourages multilingual access to digital resources in education, healthcare, justice, employment, science, and other relevant areas;  

  • Support research, evidence-based data collection and innovation to elaborate and work up new ideas and, innovative solutions as well to advance scientific-technological progress; 

  • Build an enabling environment and act as a catalyst for international cooperation among UN-system entities, UNESCO category two centres and institutes working on language issues, national governments, civil society, academia and other public and private partners. In this respect, the United Nations General Assembly announced the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages (A/RES/71/178), which culminated with the proclamation of an International Decade of Indigenous Languages between 2022 and 2032 (A/RES/74/135), whose objective is to mobilize stakeholders and resources for the preservation, support and promotion of indigenous languages worldwide. UNESCO was invited to serve as lead UN agency for its implementation, working in cooperation with UNDESA, national governments, indigenous peoples, academia, and various partners in the public and private sectors.  

UNESCO Engaging with Indigenous Peoples

 

Indigenous peoples live in all regions of the world and own, occupy or use some 22% of the global land area. Indigenous peoples represent the greater part of the world’s cultural diversity; they have created and they speak the major share of the world’s almost 7000 languages. Many indigenous peoples continue to be confronted with marginalization, extreme poverty and other human rights violations. Through partnerships with indigenous peoples, UNESCO seeks to support them in addressing the multiple challenges they face, while acknowledging their significant role in sustaining the diversity of the world’s cultural and biological landscape.  

Following the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the UN General Assembly in September 2007, and the UN Development Group (UNDG) Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues issued in 2008, it is increasingly important that UN agencies, including UNESCO, consider how to provide guidance on engaging with indigenous peoples. In this light, the UNESCO policy on Engaging with Indigenous Peoples seeks to outline a house-wide approach that will guide all of UNESCO’s programme sectors in their interactions with indigenous peoples and their organizations.