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CELTIC LEAGUE: LANGUAGES DECLARATION CALL AT UN

The General Secretary of the Celtic League has added his voice to calls which will be made at the United Nations this week to promote the Universal Declaration of Linguistic

Par Cathal Ó Luain pour Celtic League le 17/06/08 14:28

The General Secretary of the Celtic League has added his voice to calls which will be made at the United Nations this week to promote the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (UDLR) for adoption as an International Convention.

The Celtic League were heavily engaged for almost two decades from the early 1990s in the preparatory work towards this objective as part of a broad pan-european consensus of interest groups.

The Leagues General Council Officers attended many meetings in Europe to ensure that interests of the Celtic languages were futhered as part of this initiative. A major statement from the Celtic League Convenor to the World Conference on Lingustic Rights in Barcelona in June 1996 can be found in our older news archive at:

(voir le site)

The League has invested considerable resources in both time and funds to this project and we are heartened to see this UN initiative go forward.

See General Secretary, Rhisiart Tal-e-bots, letter of support below. A statement from CIEMEN, International Pen and EBLUL and "Resolution proposal on linguistic rights 2008 International Year of Languages".

"Sergei Ordzhonikidze Director-General Head the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) United Nations Office at Geneva Palais des Nations CH - 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland

12/06/08

Dear Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze

Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (UDLR)

I am writing to you ahead of the planned presentation of a resolution proposal to the UN Human Rights Council on 17th of June 2008, to promote within the United Nations a Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (UDLR) for adoption as an International Convention.

As you will be aware the UDLR is a document that represents the individual and collective linguistic rights of all peoples and is widely representative. The Celtic League was one of the original signatories of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (UDLR) on 6th June 1996 and the only one of the 61 non governmental organisations representing the linguistic rights of all the Celtic nations (Alba/Scotland, Breizh/Brittany, Cymru/Wales, Éire/Ireland, Kernow/Cornwall, Mannin/Isle of Man).

The main idea behind the UDLR was for the Declaration to be adopted as a universal convention by the United Nations for state governments across the world to adhere to and use as a reference. The Celtic League then would like to urge you, as a body, to adopt the UDLR and to push for its acceptance by state governments around the world.

The linguistic rights of the Celtic peoples has improved to a large extend since 1996, but there are still a number of areas where users of Celtic languages have no or few rights. We believe that the adoption of the UDLR as an International Convention by the UN would further the human and linguistic rights of the Celtic speaking peoples and would be an excellent opportunity, during the UN International Year of Languages 2008, to enhance the linguistic rights of users of endangered languages everywhere.

The resolution proposal will be made from 2p.m. to 4p.m. at the United Nations headquarters (Palais des Nations) in Geneva, Switzerland and, as it states in the proposal, we look forward to the future announcement by the Human Rights Council to create, within the United Nations, a Commission to prepare a future Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights.

Yours sincerely

Rhisiart Tal-e-bot General Secretary Celtic League"

"Presentation of draft UN resolution on linguistic rights

CIEMEN, in conjunction with International PEN, Linguamón and EBLUL, will publicly present the draft resolution in Geneva.

The aim is to persuade the United Nations Human Rights Council to address linguistic rights specifically.

With the participation of Aureli Argemí, Josep M. Terricabras, Antoni Mir and Neasa Ní Chinnéide.

The year 2008, declared the International Year of Languages by the United Nations, could see linguistic rights admitted to the UN Human Rights Council. A group of Catalan and international organizations are working to make this possibility a reality. On Wednesday June 18 they will publicly present their proposals at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Organized by EBLUL (European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages) and with the support of CIEMEN (International Escarré Centre for Ethnic Minorities and Nations), International PEN and Linguamón-Casa de les Llengües, and co-sponsored by the Armenian and Bolivian embassies, Wednesday's presentation will take place in parallel to the session of the Human Rights Council and will aim to persuade Council ambassadors of the need for the UN to provide linguistic rights with specific protection. A draft resolution will be presented, which ambassadors will be able to adopt and present at the next session of the Human Rights Council in September.

Since 1996, when 61 NGOs, 41 International PEN centres and 40 specialists from around the world approved the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (UDLR) in Barcelona, issues relating to the defence of linguistic diversity have been taken up by hundreds of organizations and public institutions around the world. The organizations behind the UDLR now wish to take the spirit of the Declaration a step further and convince the UN to recognize linguistic rights as a vital part of human rights.

During Wednesday's presentation, entitled Linguistic Rights to enhance Human Rights, Josep M. Terricabras (International PEN) will reflect on the particularities of linguistic rights within the category of cultural rights, and the need to provide them with specific protection. Antoni Mir (Linguamón) will give an overview of the current status of languages in the 21st century. Neasa Ní Chinnéide (EBLUL) will discuss European policies that encourage linguistic diversity. Finally, Aureli Argemí (CIEMEN) will outline progress in linguistic rights since the UDLR, before presenting the text of the draft resolution for the Human Rights Council (a copy of which is attached).

Speakers:

Aureli Argemí, President of CIEMEN Josep M. Terricabras, of Catalan PEN Antoni Mir, Director of Linguamón Neasa Ní Chinnéide, President of EBLUL

Time: Wednesday 18 June 2008, 2pm - 4pm

Place: Palais des Nations, Salle XXIV, Geneva, Switzerland"

"Resolution proposal on linguistic rights

2008 International Year of Languages

The representatives of the United Nations Human Rights Council,

In response to the objectives proposed by the United Nations, insofar as 2008 was designated the International Year of Languages, and in order to obtain tangible results before the end of this period,

Considering that linguistic rights form part of human rights and therefore fall within the scope of the responsibilities of the United Nations Human Rights Council,

Bearing in mind the fact that human beings express their identities in different languages and that linguistic diversity is one of the most important cultural values of humanity,

Conscious of the challenges globalization presents for cultural and linguistic diversity,

Drawing on the purposes, terms and general provisions of the United Nations Charter and, in particular, on the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, especially article 2, which states that the rights and freedoms of everyone must be exercised without distinction or discrimination of any kind, including on linguistic grounds, and article 27, which recognizes the right of everyone to participate freely in the cultural life of the community.

Guided also by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, especially article 2, which stipulates that the rights enunciated in the Covenant must be exercised without distinction or discrimination of any kind, including on linguistic grounds, and article 15, which recognizes the right of everyone to take part in cultural life,

Evoking the recent adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on 13 September 2007, which recognizes the rights of these peoples to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their languages, rights extendable to all linguistic communities without exception,

Recalling the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted by the UNESCO General Assembly in Paris on 20 October 2005, which recognizes linguistic diversity as a fundamental part of cultural diversity and recommends measures be implemented for its protection and promotion,

Given, inter alia, the various declarations of the European Union and the declarations and conventions of the Council of Europe, such as the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of November 1950, which advocates recognition and respect for the different languages spoken within the scope of its responsibilities; the Charter of the Organization of African Unity of May 1963, which recognizes the vital need to allow African languages to develop freely; the American Convention on Human Rights adopted by the Organization of American States in November 1969, the Arab Charter on Human Rights adopted by the Arab League on September 1994, the Iberoamerican Cultural Charter adopted by the Organisation of Iberoamerican States in November 2006, and the Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations of November 2007, which set forth the need to respect linguistic differences in order to guarantee and reinforce union between peoples,

Remembering the Helsinki Accords of 1973-1975, which begin with the Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations between Participating States, the seventh principle of which refers to the commitment made by signatory states to respect human rights without discrimination on linguistic or other grounds,

Valuing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 8 September 2001 at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenofobia, and Related Intolerance, which condemns linguistic discrimination alongside other discriminatory practices,

Emphasizing the fact that, despite the numerous international declarations, conventions, charters and treaties that highlight, even juat by alluding to the principle of discrimination, the importance of respecting linguistic rights, maintaining and promoting linguistic diversity, no single UN declaration specifically defines linguistic rights in positive terms and sets forth which rights constitute linguistic rights,

Noting with interest the contributions made by civil society towards the recognition and development of linguistic rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, inter alia, approved in Barcelona in 1996 by legal experts and qualified linguists from around the world and adopted by parliaments,

1. Recognize that all languages are of equal value and deserve equal respect, insofar as each language is an expression of the identity of the speaker and of the speaker's community,

2. Assert that the more linguistic diversity is respected, the greater the likelihood of different human beings being able to co-exist harmoniously, and that respect for linguistic diversity can therefore contribute towards a constructive peace between peoples,

3. Urge states and international institutions to continue to develop policies which ensure that all languages are respected, promoted and used in society, in all domains that affect the life of the individual and the community,

4. Pledge to pursue these issues, as a specific contribution to the United Nations Human Rights Council, to ensure that linguistic rights are developed across the world, in accordance with the objectives noted above in this International Year of Languages, bearing in mind the considerations, concerns, claims, studies and initiatives mentioned above and others that are analogous,

5. Call for the UN to approve, in the short term (or within two years), with the help and support of this Council, a Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, as a necessary complement to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,"

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