Peace through Languages
Conference Room 7, UN Headquarters
Tuesday March 18th, From 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Register for the Event
- first come first served basis, registration will be capped at 90 people
The Forum’s Goals
The aim of the forum “Peace through languages” is to showcase the strategic character of multilingualism on the international level by taking into account two main considerations:
The first consideration includes three components:
-
Repositioning multilingualism within the broader framework of the necessity to respect the fundamental freedoms and Human Rights as stated in the "1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights".
-
Incorporating multilingualism within the broader framework of the respect for cultural diversity as stated by UNESCO – with which the OIF is allied and engaged in this combat - in its "universal Declaration on the cultural Diversity" of November 2001 as well as in its "Convention on the protection and the promotion of the cultural expressions diversity" of October 2005.
-
Recalling the various and relevant General Assembly Resolutions of the United Nations on multilingualism, in order to call for their effective implementation.
The second consideration is that once the member states and the international organizations agree on "the requirement to respect linguistic diversity", they should formulate and implement suitable and dynamic linguistic policies directed towards this purpose. Concerning international and regional organizations, the forum will make an assessment of multilingualism and its importance in the reinforcement of the ascending, descending and transversal communication within the Secretariats on the one hand, and the financial and organizational constraints on the other hand.
Forum Objectives
The objectives of the Forum “Peace through languages” are:
-
To echo the statement of Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, largely shared by Mr. Abdou DIOUF Secretary-General of the Francophonie, that "multilingualism is the corollary of multilateralism" in the relations between nations of the world. In this sense, it brings an important contribution to the pursuit of peace, security and international harmony and constitutes an aspect of the "democratization of international relations".
-
To contribute to raising awareness of the fact that multilingualism is a key international issue with its political, economic, commercial and cultural aspects of national, regional and international levels. It thus justifies the mobilization of the United Nations for its safeguard and its reinforcement through several international legal instruments.
-
To create an interactive dialogue on current implementation of international instruments and rules of procedure related to cultural diversity in general, and the legal statute of languages within the United Nations and international and regional organizations, in particular.
-
To mobilize the United Nations, other international and regional organizations as well as the civil society to launch, by the end of 2008, the “International Year of Languages”, a call for the creation of a "New International Linguistic Order". The New Order will complement the Universal Declaration of UNESCO on cultural diversity, and other international and regional instruments relevant to this topic.
Main Topics
The Forum will be organized around three main topics
1. Strategic Challenges of Multilingualism for Peace in the World
This section develops an argument which holds that multilingualism is an international strategic challenge with regard to Peace and Security in the world, putting aside emotional positions related to the language and its use. As a vector for Peace and Security in the world, multilingualism, like democracy, comprises political challenges and choices within states as well as at the regional and universal levels that decision makers have to face. This guarantees the establishment of a rational and balanced multilingualism, i.e. a "sustainable multilingualism".
2. Multilingualism within the United Nations and other International and Regional Organizations
In this section we will assess multilingualism within the United Nations system, international organizations, and regional economic communities. This assessment will identify the legal framework, the human and material costs, the organizational constraints, etc., that states and international organizations should envision in order to support the right to linguistic diversity.
3. The Way Forward: Towards a New International Linguistic Order
This section shares the best practices with regard to the costs and organizational constraints of implementing multilingualism. The aim is also to sensitize the United Nations Bodies, the Secretariat and the Agencies, as well as other international organizations and the regional communities and institutions to the need to reinforce multilingualism as a factor and vector for Peace and international harmony.
The New International Linguistic Order will highlight the fact that the right to use the language of one’s choice, especially in a professional setting, is part of the Universal Human Rights. Also, that each state has the right to use its own official language, freely chosen, as an attribute of national sovereignty, and that this choice deserves respect and consideration from others.
Sustainable multilingualism, the heart of the New International Linguistic Order, constitutes a "world inheritance of humanity" which should be respected and protected.
Speakers will be intellectuals, academics, senior officials from the United Nations and other International Organizations, Diplomats and representatives from civil society.
2 UN Plaza, DC2-2060, New York, New York 10017
Tel: 212-963-6387 | Fax: 212-371-9454 | unuona @ ony.unu.edu
Get directions to the UNU Office