A UN News Special<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UNITED NATIONS, 25 Feb 2023 (IDN) \u2014 Multilingual education is a critical key to razing inequalities and promoting human rights for all, UN officials said to mark International Mother Language Day. Commemorating the world\u2019s languages\u2014all 6,700 of them\u2014since 1999, the 21 February<\/a> aims at celebrating ways of showcasing the world\u2019s linguistic tapestry, committing to the preservation of the diversity of languages as a common heritage, and working for quality education\u2014in mother tongues\u2014for all, said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The theme this year, \u201cMultilingual education\u2014a necessity to transform education\u201d,\u2014aligns with recommendations made during the UN Transforming Education Summit<\/a> in 2021. Convened by UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres<\/a>, the gathering drew attention to indigenous people\u2019s education and languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Africa has the highest linguistic diversity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The day also highlights shortcomings and challenges ahead. UNESCO\u2019s recent report, Born To Learn<\/em><\/a>, shows that at most one in five children are taught in their mother tongue in Africa<\/em>, the continent with the highest linguistic diversity. At the same time, 40 per cent of the world\u2019s students do not have access to education in the language they speak or understand best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This severely undermines learning, cultural expression and the building of social relations and significantly weakens the linguistic heritage of humanity, Ms Azoulay said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is therefore crucial that this language issue be taken into account in the necessary exercise of transforming education,\u201d she said. Moving forward, better data collection is required for improved tailored action, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diversity\u2019s \u2018fragile value\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAbove all, however, it requires a more general awareness of the irreplaceable but fragile value of the world\u2019s linguistic and cultural diversity,\u201d she said. \u201cEach of the more than 7,000 languages spoken by humanity carries within it a unique view of the world, of things and of beings, a way of thinking and feeling\u2014so much so that each disappearance of a language constitutes an irretrievable loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Progress is being made. UNESCO is leading the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022\u20132032), an important opportunity for the world to mobilize in order to safeguard a major part of its cultural diversity. There is also a growing understanding of the importance of multilingual education, particularly in early schooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keys to Inclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, States must be more inclusive in the treatment and use of minority and indigenous languages, said Fernand de Varennes, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn celebrating the richness and beauty of the global linguistic tapestry, it is essential to move away from new forms of nationalist majoritarianism that assume that societies and States should have only one language to the exclusion of all others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is inconsistent with inclusive societies that respect the human rights of linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLanguages are essential tools to communicate and share knowledge, memory, and history, but they are also key to full and equal participation,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of the most effective ways of empowering minorities and indigenous peoples is to guarantee the use of their language in education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adopting an inclusive approach is the most effective way of guaranteeing equality and non-discrimination with respect to international law and will ensure that minority and indigenous children are provided with useful literacy and numeracy skills to learn other languages, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather than reducing or even eliminating the use of minority and indigenous languages in education, he said States should invest in the development of teaching materials, training and promoting the mother tongue as a medium of instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Untranslatable\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, around the world, the UN has been commemorating the day, in many, many languages. Bangladesh and partners will host a meeting<\/a> at UN Headquarters, and UNESCO held an event<\/a> in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UN Dag Hammarskj\u00f6ld Library released the second volume in its Why it Matters<\/em> series. Documenting how the issue evolved from a founding principle to a core value, \u201cMultilingualism at the United Nations<\/a>\u201d is now available in its six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n