INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

TOPIC: Polity

Context- The theme of International Mother Language Day in 2022 — “Using Technology for Multilingual Learning: Challenges and Opportunities”

Concept-

International Mother Language Day:

In November 1999, the UNESCO General Conference approved the declaration of February 21 as International Mother Language Day, in response to the declining state of many languages.
It has been observed throughout the world since 2000.
According to the UNESCO, at least 43% of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered.
The theme of International Mother Language Day in 2022 — “Using Technology for Multilingual Learning: Challenges and Opportunities”.
- The central idea is to leverage technology to support and enrich the teaching-learning experience on a multi-lingual level.
- Technology can provide new tools for protecting linguistic diversity. Such tools, for example, facilitating their spread and analysis, allow us to record and preserve languages which sometimes exist only in oral form.

UNESCO:

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.
It is also a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), a coalition of UN agencies and organizations aimed at fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Headquarters are located in Paris.
Some important conventions and International treaties of UNESCO to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage:
- The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005)
- The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)
- The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001)
- The Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001)
- The Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972)
- The Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property (1970)