{"id":5830,"date":"2022-12-17T13:28:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T04:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/?p=5830"},"modified":"2023-12-24T13:31:19","modified_gmt":"2023-12-24T04:31:19","slug":"alarm-bells-ringing-for-endangered-indigenous-languages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/sdgs\/alarm-bells-ringing-for-endangered-indigenous-languages\/","title":{"rendered":"Alarm Bells Ringing for Endangered Indigenous Languages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UN Launches 10-year Survival Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By J Nastranis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NEW YORK (IDN) \u2014 Indigenous Peoples are guardians to almost 80 per cent of the world\u2019s remaining biodiversity, said Csaba K\u0151r\u00f6si, the incumbent President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), while launching on December 16 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had just returned from the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP)<\/a> in Montreal, Canada. \u201cThe aim of this event is to help protect and promote indigenous languages. And to reflect upon how the next decade will shape their preservation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, to successfully protect nature, \u201cwe must listen to indigenous peoples, and we must do so in their own languages\u201d. Yet every two weeks, an indigenous language dies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With each indigenous language that goes extinct, so too goes the thought: the culture, tradition and knowledge it bears, the UNGA President noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Arctic communities desiring to receive public services in their own languages, to the Arhuaco people in Colombia who still speak Ika, indigenous people across the world are determined to keep their mother tongues alive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against this backdrop, in 2007, the UNGA adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizing the right \u201cto revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proclamation of an International Decade is a key outcome of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, for which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO<\/a>) lead global efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Organization will continue to serve as lead UN Agency for the implementation of the International Decade, in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and other relevant UN Agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indigenous people make up less than six per cent of the global population but speak more than 4,000 of the world\u2019s roughly 6,700 languages, according to<\/a> the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, conservative estimates indicate that more than half of all languages will become extinct by the end of this century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The General Assembly President urged countries to work with indigenous communities to safeguard their rights, such as access to education and resources in their native languages, and to ensure that they and their knowledge are not exploited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd perhaps most importantly, meaningfully consult indigenous peoples, engaging with them in every stage of decision-making processes,\u201d he advised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural identity and wisdom<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the launch, indigenous persons and UN Ambassadors\u2014sometimes one and the same\u2014made the case for protection and preservation, reported UN News<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language is more than just words, said Mexican Ambassador Juan Ram\u00f3n de la Fuente, speaking on behalf of the 22-member Group of Friends of Indigenous Peoples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is at the essence of the identity of its speakers and the collective soul of its peoples. Languages embody the history, culture and traditions of people, and they are dying at an alarming rate,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leonor Zalabata Torres, an Arhuaco woman and Colombia\u2019s UN Ambassador, drew applause for her address, delivered partly in Ika, one of 65 indigenous languages spoken in her homeland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLanguage is the expression of wisdom and cultural identity, and the instrument that gives meaning to our daily reality that we inherited from our ancestors,\u201d she said, switching to Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately, linguistic diversity is at risk, and this has been caused by the dramatic reduction of the use and the accelerated replacement of indigenous languages by the languages of the majority societies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Zalabata Torres reported that the Colombian government has underlined its commitment to implementing the 10-year plan on indigenous languages, which is centred around pillars that include strengthening, recognition, documentation and revitalization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language and self-determination <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Arctic indigenous communities, language is critical to political, economic, social, cultural and spiritual rights, said representative Aluki Kotierk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn fact, every time an indigenous person utters a word in an indigenous language, it is an act of self-determination,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Ms. Kotierk said native tongues and dialects \u201care in various levels of vitality\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She envisions a time where Arctic indigenous peoples \u201ccan stand taller in their own homelands with dignity, knowing that they can function in all aspects of their lives, in their own language, receiving essential public services in the areas of health, justice, and education\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Towards linguistic justice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Mariam Wallet Med Aboubakrine, Indigenous peoples\u2019 representative of the Socio-Cultural Region of Africa, also addresses the UN General Assembly at the launch of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Aboubakrine, a doctor from Mali, advocates for indigenous peoples in Africa, particularly the Tuareg. She urged countries \u201cto deliver linguistic cultural justice to indigenous peoples\u201d, which will only contribute to reconciliation and lasting peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She expressed hope that the International Decade will culminate with the adoption of a UN Convention \u201cso that every indigenous woman can cradle and comfort her baby in her language; every indigenous child can play in their language; every young person and adult can express themselves and work in security in their language, including in digital spaces, and to ensure that every elder can transmit their experience in their language\u201d. [IDN-InDepthNews \u2014 17 December 2022]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Girls from the Arhuacos indigenous community of Colombia. UNODC\/Laura Rodriguez Navarro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UN Launches 10-year Survival Plan By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) \u2014 Indigenous Peoples are guardians to almost 80 per cent of the world\u2019s remaining biodiversity, said Csaba K\u0151r\u00f6si, the incumbent President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), while launching on December 16 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. He had just returned from the UN […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,40,13,16,32,3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5830","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-injustice-corruption","8":"category-global-regions","9":"category-goal10","10":"category-news","11":"category-regions","12":"category-sdgs-2","13":"category-sdgs"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5830"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5831,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5830\/revisions\/5831"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}