[Edling] Virtual Symposium | 3-4 May | Multilingualism and COVID-19--Lessons Learned and Looking Forward

Tue Apr 5 02:19:00 UTC 2022

The Study Group on Language and the United Nations presents

*Multilingualism and COVID-19: *

*Lessons Learned and Looking Forward*

A Virtual Symposium on 3-4 May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a powerful impact on humanity.  In addition
to the direct effects of infection, there has been a wide range of indirect
effects on both individuals and social institutions throughout the world.
Pre-pandemic inequalities have been exacerbated, and new challenges have
emerged as people attempt to cope with living and working through a public
health crisis.  The United Nations is currently prioritizing ways forward,
including how Agenda 2030 and the related work of continuing progress on
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be put back on track from the
major setbacks of the pandemic, as emphasized in *Our Common Agenda,* the
recent report by the Secretary-General and the focus of the upcoming July
2022 High-Level Political Forum.

The present symposium draws attention to the essential role that
multilingualism must play in initiatives by the United Nations, Member
States, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and other
stakeholders to foster peri-pandemic and post-pandemic development.
Language mediates all human experience.  Fully inclusive dialogue and
problem-solving must involve substantive use of multilingualism to ensure
that people can understand one another, access information equitably, and
participate democratically.  In addition, all development initiatives must
take linguistic minorities into account explicitly so that “nobody is left
behind” due to their language background.

The symposium focuses on multilingualism with respect to Good Health and
Well-Being (SDG 3) and Quality Education (SDG 4), with attention to
linguistic challenges that have occurred during the pandemic as well as
creative and inclusive solutions that have emerged and can be built upon
going forward.  The two-day virtual event brings together a spectrum of
stakeholders including United Nations staff members, government officials,
university scholars, and members of civil society to address issues and
innovations.  The symposium follows a panel format through which experts
present their perspectives, engage in dialogue with each other, and prompt
general discussion with participants.

*Event Details*

The symposium will take place virtually over two days:

*Tuesday, 3 May - Focus on Health and Well-Being (SDG 3)*

08:15-13:00 – New York
14:15-19:00 – Geneva
15:15-20:00 – Nairobi
19:15-12:00 – Bangkok

*Wednesday, 4 May - Focus on Quality Education (SDG 4)*

08:15-13:00 – New York
14:15-19:00 – Geneva
15:15-20:00 – Nairobi
19:15-12:00 – Bangkok

 A detailed programme will be published at a later time.

*Registration*

The symposium is open to United Nations staff members, delegates of Member
States and staff members of missions, government officials of all levels,
university researchers and students, NGO representatives, members of civil
society, and others with an interest in the relationship between COVID-19
and multilingualism.  There is no cost to attend the symposium, but
preregistration is required.  Register here
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAlM0K0ZqGHdhyzgbJo09sSDxFbJsqNUti-6GB77o3laRcFA/viewform?usp=sf_link>
as
soon as possible, but no later than *30 April*.

*Symposium Sponsors*

The symposium is held in cooperation with the NGO Committee on Language and
Languages, a substantive committee of the Conference of Non-Governmental
Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO
<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fngocongo.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ctonkin%40hartford.edu%7C2f9315e2bb1d4b7ec7d808da13c62e1e%7Cb78b91e8428e422fa5b4a8f6cab07104%7C0%7C0%7C637844039310445493%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=2BUQ1FKTAPoIdvt6FzRDqXuQIp7adohzxFH6TW3KjXo%3D&reserved=0>),
and made possible by generous support and assistance from

Center for Applied Linguistics
<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cal.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ctonkin%40hartford.edu%7C2f9315e2bb1d4b7ec7d808da13c62e1e%7Cb78b91e8428e422fa5b4a8f6cab07104%7C0%7C0%7C637844039310445493%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=7s7Lnu5Pb8rBx6LqC5qZJXllLFwuQzBLWmeGpTmsb9o%3D&reserved=0>
(CAL)

Esperantic Studies Foundation
<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esperantic.org%2Fen%2Fhome%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ctonkin%40hartford.edu%7C2f9315e2bb1d4b7ec7d808da13c62e1e%7Cb78b91e8428e422fa5b4a8f6cab07104%7C0%7C0%7C637844039310445493%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=nsStvVtA5neVwaqiv7xoUw4LYC9AgI3t0EMSIILbKWA%3D&reserved=0>
(ESF)

Springer Nature
<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.springernature.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ctonkin%40hartford.edu%7C2f9315e2bb1d4b7ec7d808da13c62e1e%7Cb78b91e8428e422fa5b4a8f6cab07104%7C0%7C0%7C637844039310445493%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=NF3GffS9n2Y1uELgmNhYjSeAVhrLxuEkqC779g0ZMv0%3D&reserved=0>

Centre for Research and Documentation on World Language Problems (CED)

Consortium for Language Policy and Planning
<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclpp.umbc.edu%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ctonkin%40hartford.edu%7C2f9315e2bb1d4b7ec7d808da13c62e1e%7Cb78b91e8428e422fa5b4a8f6cab07104%7C0%7C0%7C637844039310445493%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=7K9HlSAcv3tVTJGcOFc87FSyoSKYaUJZtTbrhfX9fBs%3D&reserved=0>
(CLPP)
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