SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF UPHOLDING DIVERSITY OF LOCAL LANGUAGES

Press Release
SG/SM/7311
OBV/130

SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF UPHOLDING DIVERSITY OF LOCAL LANGUAGES

Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's message for International Mother Language Day, which is being observed today:

I am delighted to convey my greetings on the occasion of the launch of the first International Mother Language Day. This Day will help to raise awareness among all peoples of the distinct and enduring value of their languages. In an age of globalization and international cooperation where a few languages have become global languages, it is imperative that we uphold the diversity of local languages.

Along with nation and community, language is an essential component of identity and a means by which we find our place in the world. The very essence of belonging in an increasingly rootless world is to hear a language of one’s own, to understand and be understood with ease. While differing languages have, in the past, separated peoples and groups, it is my hope that all peoples can unite in celebrating the full diversity of languages.

The United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have long worked to promote the dissemination of mother tongues and to advance multilingual education and linguistic diversity. Given the danger that many of the 6,000 languages spoken today may disappear in the next 20 years, it is critical that the international community redouble its efforts to protect this common heritage of mankind.

Above all, the lesson of our age is that languages are not mutually exclusive, but that human beings and humanity itself are enriched by communicating in more than one language. Languages no less than the peoples to whom they belong can and must coexist in the new century, and it is my hope that International Mother Language Day will contribute to this noble aim.

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