News
A delegation from the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Indigenous Peoples Programme has called for a UN-sponsored “International Year of Indigenous Languages” in 2006.
As part of the Indigenous Caucus attending the Third UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues taking place 10-21 May in New York, the WCC delegation stressed the value of languages to Indigenous cultures and the urgency of pro-active strategies for their revitalization.
Dr Richard A. Grounds of the Yuchi nation in Oklahoma, USA, who is a member of the WCC Central Committee, emphasized the urgency of saving the world’s languages at a presentation to the UN Forum.
A member of the United Methodist Church in the US, he pointed out that over three-fourths of the world’s linguistic diversity is carried by Indigenous peoples, and reiterated the assessment of linguists that unless something is done about it, up to 90% of the world’s 6,800 languages will fall silent by the end of this century.
According to UNESCO statistics, one language is lost every two weeks on average. “Half of the world’s languages are facing immediate loss in the next two decades,” says Ole Henrik Magga, chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
An International Year of Indigenous Languages would "call attention to this largely silent issue, generating both public awareness, and greater realization on the part of Indigenous people themselves, who often are not clear about the extent of language loss within their own communities," explains Grounds.
With the help of the United Nations and its member states, an International Year would "highlight the critical status of our languages, providing both education about the value of our languages and effective strategies for revitalization," the Indigenous Caucus participants emphasized.
They recommended "the development of clear strategies for effective intervention in the process of Indigenous language loss" as well as "funding from states for language revitalization programmes". Grounds points out that it is also important to redress the "oppression and legal measures that continue to be used against minority and Indigenous languages".
In a joint statement, the participants at the Indigenous Caucus made reference to the inestimable value of Indigenous languages as "the basis of our spirituality and ceremonial life, the source of Indigenous knowledge, the core of our identity as Indigenous peoples, the bearer of our unwritten histories, the source for the proper use and codification of our medicinal knowledge, the heart of our rich heritage and as a gift from the Creator”.
In order to promote the call for an International Year of Indigenous Languages, the delegation gathered signatures of support from over 60 different Indigenous organizations attending the Permanent Forum.
The International Year of Indigenous Languages will need to be proclaimed by the UN General Assembly. Therefore, one of the member states must raise it for consideration. If it passes through the voting process, the year will be enacted. The New Zealand government is being approached to propose the International Year to the UN in time for the activities to be programmed to begin in 2006.
Visit the Indigenous Peoples' Programme pages on the WCC website:
wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/indig.html
For more information contact :
Richard Grounds, +1 918 224 6481, [email protected]
