UNESCO announces special action plan for language preservation

A special action plan to preserve mother languages and promote multilingualism was announced at an event marking International Mother Language Day at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

UNESCO’s newly appointed Director-General, Khaled El Enany, said the formative years of education are the most appropriate time for young people to practice their mother tongues and develop multilingual skills.

He made the remarks while inaugurating the programme on Friday (20 Feb).

The director-general noted that UNESCO is planning to undertake concrete initiatives, in consultation with Bangladesh and with the participation of member states, to preserve and promote mother languages worldwide.

Commending Bangladesh for its global leadership in safeguarding mother languages, Enany expressed his appreciation in Bangla and thanked Bangladesh’s Ambassador to UNESCO, Khandker M Talha.

An Egyptian national, Enany delivered part of his speech in his own mother tongue, Arabic.

This year’s event was marked by a rare presence of UNESCO’s three top officials — the president of the General Conference, the chairperson of the Executive Board, and the director-general — who attended the opening ceremony together, adding special significance to the occasion.

Delivering the welcome address, Talha, president of the UNESCO General Conference and ambassador of Bangladesh to the organisation, stressed that UNESCO’s programmes must reach people around the world in their own languages to ensure sustainable development.

He called for a robust action plan to protect mother languages and urged member states to engage young people more actively in these efforts.

Nasser Al-Hanzab, ambassador of Qatar and chairperson of the Executive Board, praised Bangladesh’s leading role in the global movement for mother language preservation and thanked the country for organising this year’s programme.

The first segment of the event featured a panel discussion titled “The Role of Language in Peace and Sustainable Development.”

The minister of culture of Tanzania and the minister of education of Timor-Leste participated in the discussion.

The Tanzanian minister delivered part of his remarks in Swahili, his mother tongue. A linguist representing the Quechua language of the Inca community in South America also took part.

The keynote address was presented by Spanish linguist Prof Damián Blasi. Speakers highlighted linguistic diversity by incorporating their respective mother tongues into their remarks.

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The second segment of the day featured a vibrant cultural programme. Alongside Bangladesh, participants from Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and a multilingual educational institution based in Paris took part.

Folk songs performed by artists from Bangladesh drew appreciation from diplomats and guests.

Around 200 members of the Bangladeshi diaspora attended the event. Many expressed pride in Bangladesh’s leadership on the global stage in preserving mother languages.