51³Ô¹Ï

students reading in class
Six-year-old students in a special language class common to all schools in high mountain areas of Viet Nam with a large ethnic minority population. In this class, students study both languages - their mother tongue and Vietnamese.
Photo:UNICEF/Hoang Le Vu

Multilingual education ¨C a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning

Multilingual and multicultural societies thrive through the preservation of their languages, which serve as conduits for traditional knowledge and cultural heritage. However, linguistic diversity faces increasing threats as more languages vanish. Currently, 40% of the global population lacks access to education in their native language, a figure that exceeds 90% in certain regions. Research underscores the benefits of using learners' native languages in education, fostering better learning outcomes, self-esteem, and critical thinking skills. This approach also supports intergenerational learning and cultural preservation.

, first proclaimed by UNESCO and later adopted by the UN General Assembly, underscores the role of languages in promoting inclusion and achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Multilingual education policies, highlighted in the 2024 theme ¡°Multilingual education ¨C a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning¡±, are crucial for inclusive education and the preservation of indigenous languages. By starting education in the learner's mother tongue and gradually introducing other languages, barriers between home and school are bridged, facilitating effective learning.

Multilingual education not only promotes inclusive societies but also aids in preserving non-dominant, minority, and indigenous languages. It is a cornerstone for achieving equitable access to education and lifelong learning opportunities for all individuals.

Event

girl writing in notebook

21 February 2024 : 10:00 am - 1:00 pm (CET)

Location: UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France (In-person)

Language(s): French, Spanish, English (webcast link coming soon)

                   

 

Safeguarding Linguistic Diversity

Languages, with their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education and development, are of strategic importance for people and planet. Yet, due to globalization processes, they are increasingly under threat, or disappearing altogether. When languages fade, so does the world's rich tapestry of cultural diversity. Opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking and expression ¡ª valuable resources for ensuring a better future ¡ª are also lost.

Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage. At least 45% of the estimated 7000 languages spoken in the world are . Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world.

Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages, which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.

International Mother Language Day is observed every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and .

Background

International Mother Language Day was by the General Conference of the 51³Ô¹Ï Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization () in November 1999. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. The UN General Assembly welcomed the proclamation of the day in its  of 2002.

On 16 May 2007 the 51³Ô¹Ï General Assembly in its resolution  called upon Member States "to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world". By the same resolution, the General Assembly proclaimed 2008 as the , to promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and multiculturalism and named the 51³Ô¹Ï Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to serve as the lead agency for the Year.

Today there is growing awareness that languages play a vital role in development, in ensuring cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, but also in strengthening co-operation and attaining quality education for all, in building inclusive knowledge societies and preserving cultural heritage, and in mobilizing political will for applying the benefits of science and technology to sustainable development.

International Mother Language Day poster

UN and Multilingualism

Documents

Resources

  • (2022-2032)
  • (2019)

UNESCO

The  aims to ensure indigenous peoples¡¯ right to preserve, revitalize and promote their languages. It offers an opportunity to collaborate in the areas of policy development and stimulate a global dialogue and to take necessary measures for the usage, preservation, revitalization and promotion of indigenous languages around the world.

A teacher in Ethiopia conducts her class outside due to a lack of classrooms.

Related observances

 

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the 51³Ô¹Ï, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.