International Mother Language Day is celebrated today
The International Mother Language Day (IMLD) was proclaimed by the General Conference of UNESCO on November 17, 1999. It has been celebrated on February 21 since 2000 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. By introducing Mother Language Day into the international calendar, UNESCO called on countries to develop, support and intensify activities aimed at respecting and protecting all languages, especially languages that are on the verge of extinction. The theme of the 2021 International Mother Language Day, “Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society,” recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals’ focus on leaving no one behind. UNESCO believes education, based on the first language or mother tongue, must begin from the early years. Languages are the most powerful tool for the preservation and development of our material and spiritual heritage. According to UNESCO estimates, half of the approximately 7,000 languages of the world may soon lose their last speakers. Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.
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