UN-Year of Languages

[Yuphaphann Hoonchamlong]

From: Sjoerd Koopman <Sjoerd.Koopman at ifla.nl>
Date: Feb 4, 2008 8:27 PM
Subject: [IFLA-L] 2008 UNESCO Year of Languages
To: IFLA-L <Ifla-l at infoserv.inist.fr>

Announcement - Year of Languages

The year 2008 has been proclaimed International Year of Languages by
the United Nations General Assembly. With the slogan "languages
matter!", UNESCO is aiming at extensive fulfilment in its role as
coordinator of activities for this Year. The conviction that language
diversity is essential to the human heritage - as each and every
language embodies the unique cultural wisdom of a people - is the
common working ground for all those who will respond to this call for
action.

Proposed areas for partnership and collaboration are multilingualism
in cyberspace, radio programmes in all languages, translating projects
especially from and into lesser known languages, languages and
migration, safeguarding endangered languages, those being only an
example of what a Year of Languages can mean for policy makers and
project organizers. Quoting Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director General of
UNESCO "The common goal is to ensure that the importance of linguistic
diversity and multilingualism in educational, administrative and legal
systems, cultural expressions and the media, cyberspace and trade, is
recognized on the national, regional and international levels".

UNESCO therefore invites governments, United Nations organizations,
civil society organizations, educational institutions, professional
associations and all other stakeholders to increase their own
activities to foster respect for, and the promotion and protection of
all languages, particularly endangered languages, in all individual
and collective contexts.

The formal launching of the Year of Languages will be on 21 February
2008, the International Mother Language Day.

Extensive information is to be found on the official UNESCO website
<www.unesco.org>