Earlier today, the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL2019) was officially launched at UNESCO in Paris. There will also be an event on February 1 at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York

The theme of the year, “Indigenous languages matter for sustainable development, peace building and reconciliation,” echoes the “Languages matter” theme of the 2008 International Year of Languages. It also seems to highlight connections with the Sustainable Development Goals and even the concurrent International Year of Moderation (which will be the subject of a separate post).

IYIL2019 was declared in the 2016 UNGA resolution on the Rights of indigenous peoples., based on a resolution of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

A general statement of the purpose of the Year from the official webpage sets the theme:

Languages play a crucial role in the daily lives of people, not only as a tool for communication, education, social integration and development, but also as a repository for each person’s unique identity, cultural history, traditions and memory. But despite their immense value, languages around the world continue to disappear at an alarming rate.

With this in mind, the United Nations declared 2019 The Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) in order to raise awareness of them, not only to benefit the people who speak these languages, but also for others to appreciate the important contribution they make to our world’s rich cultural diversity.

The IYIL2019 has five (5) “overarching” objectives (taken from the CFP, below; the website has a slightly different set of 5 action areas):

1. Informing about the importance of indigenous languages for social development
2. Creating greater awareness about the critical status of indigenous languages around the world
3. Stimulating intercultural debate around indigenous languages
4. Imparting new knowledge on the importance of indigenous languages
5. Shaping attitudes of relevant stakeholders about indigenous languages.

CFP within the context of IYIL2019

As part of the Year, there is a call for research papers (deadline 1 March 2019) addressing one or more of seven key areas of intervention:

1. Humanitarian affairs, peace-building and national development plans
2. Indigenous education and life-long learning
3. Indigenous knowledge in science and health
4. Gender equality
5. Social inclusion and urbanization, ethics and civic engagement
6. Cultural heritage and diplomacy
7. Technology, digital activism, and artificial intelligence