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| Friday, 20 February 2004 |
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The International Mother Language Day falls on February 21 every year. The Day was proclaimed by UNESCO General Conference in November 1999 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. It also aims at promoting universal access to cyberspace and multiculturalism on global information networks, a UN press release said. The first International Mother Language Day was celebrated in 2000. In a message to the first celebration United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said "the Day raises awareness among all peoples regarding the value of languages." He called for increased efforts to conserve languages as a shared heritage of humanity. Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing tangible and intangible heritage of the humanity. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but all traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue. Language is not only a tool for communication and knowledge, but also fundamental to cultural identity and empowerment. In the Education Position Paper: Education in a Multilingual World (2003), UNESCO considers some of the central issues concerning education and the role of languages and culture, and provides some essential guidelines and principles. The number of spoken languages in the world today has been variously estimated at between 6,000 and 7,000. UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappearing has suggested that at least half of them may be lost in the coming years. Respect for the languages of those belonging to different linguistic communities through initial instruction in the mother tongue, the encouragement of pluralism and on inter-cultural, bilingual or multilingual education, access to other value systems and the sharing of knowledge across such borders are essential elements for peaceful cohabitation in the 21st century. |
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