International Year of Indigenous Languages

International Year of Indigenous Languages
Name	International Year of Indigenous Languages
Declared by	United Nations General Assembly
Proclaimed	2019
Duration	2019
Related	United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, UNESCO World Heritage Committee

International Year of Indigenous Languages The International Year of Indigenous Languages was proclaimed to raise awareness of the status and threats facing Indigenous peoples' languages and to mobilize action by United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and allied bodies. It linked cultural preservation efforts of groups represented by institutions such as the International Labour Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and regional organizations including the African Union, European Union, Organization of American States, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Background and Declaration

The declaration followed advocacy by Indigenous organizations including First Nations Summit, Assembly of First Nations, National Congress of American Indians, Sámi Council, Adivasi, Federation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Corporations and academic networks such as International Congress of Linguists, Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas, Association for Linguistic Typology, and Endangered Languages Project. Resolutions were drafted with input from experts attached to Harvard University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Toronto, Australian National University, and University of Auckland. The initiative cited commitments from heritage organizations including Smithsonian Institution, British Museum, Library of Congress, National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico), and National Archives of Australia.

Objectives and Themes

Primary objectives emphasized language documentation championed by projects like Rosetta Project, DoBeS (Documentation of Endangered Languages), ELAR (Endangered Languages Archive), and community programs supported by foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation. Themes highlighted revitalization models linked to case studies involving Māori language revival, Hawaiian language revitalization, Yupik language programs, Nahuatl language education, and Inuktitut broadcasting. Policy alignment referenced instruments including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and involved partners such as International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Survival.

Global Activities and Initiatives

Activities included conferences hosted by UNESCO World Heritage Centre, workshops convened by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and digital campaigns run by UNICEF, World Bank, and Global Partnership for Education. Field initiatives connected to regional programs in collaboration with Government of Canada, Government of New Zealand, Government of Australia, Government of Mexico, Government of Norway, Government of Finland, Government of India, Government of Brazil, Government of Colombia, and Government of South Africa. Academic collaborations produced output from institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, McGill University, University of British Columbia, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and National University of Ireland Galway. Media and arts projects engaged partners such as BBC, NHK, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), CBC, Televisión Pública Argentina, National Film Board of Canada, and festivals like Venice Biennale and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Technological initiatives leveraged platforms from Microsoft, Google, Apple Inc., Facebook, Twitter, Mozilla Foundation, and community archives such as Endangered Languages Archive and Archo; language tools drew on standards from Unicode Consortium, International Organization for Standardization, and datasets connected to Ethnologue and Glottolog. Training programs engaged NGOs including Summer Institute of Linguistics, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas, Language Conservancy, and Native American Rights Fund.

Impact and Outcomes

Reported outcomes included increased funding commitments by institutions like the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, and national bodies such as Department of Canadian Heritage, Ministry of Māori Development (Te Puni Kōkiri), Ministry of Culture and Tourism (China), and Ministry of Culture (France). Practical outputs encompassed curriculum materials adopted by Ministry of Education (New Zealand), Secretaría de Educación Pública (Mexico), and municipal programs in City of Reykjavík and City of Nuuk; media outputs spawned broadcasts on CBC/Radio-Canada, TVNZ, SBS (Australia), and online archives at Library of Congress. Scholarly output appeared in journals including Language, International Journal of American Linguistics, Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, and reports from UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Case studies documented revitalization results for languages such as Te Reo Māori, Hawaiian language, Guarani, Quechua, Aymara, Mapudungun, Yoruba, Kanauji, Malayalam, Inuktitut, Sámi language, Kurdish languages, and Ainu language. Awards and recognition involved entities like the Prince Claus Fund, UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize, and national honors including Order of Canada and New Zealand Order of Merit.

Criticism and Challenges

Critics from indigenous advocates including Survival International, Cultural Survival, Indigenous Environmental Network, and academic commentators at University of California, Los Angeles and University of Helsinki argued that the Year produced symbolic gestures rather than systemic change. Challenges cited included limited implementation by ministries such as Ministry of Education (India), inconsistent support from donors like European Commission and private philanthropies, and tensions between intellectual property frameworks of World Intellectual Property Organization and community protocols overseen by National Congress of American Indians. Structural obstacles appeared in legal contexts involving cases before Inter-American Court of Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights, and national courts in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Operational difficulties involved data gaps in repositories like Ethnologue, competing classification schemes from Glottolog, and technology constraints with vendors including Google LLC and Microsoft Corporation. Advocacy groups stressed the need for sustained commitments comparable to treaties such as International Labour Organization Convention 169 and instruments like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to ensure long-term language survival.

Category:Indigenous languages