The European Language Equality Network, the international civil society organization working for the protection of European indigenous minoritised languages, has called for a new UN Convention to protect minoritised languages amidst an exponential rise in hate-speech and the continuing need for clear, unambiguous language rights.

The ELEN statement, presented by Secretary-General Davyth Hicks and President Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, referred to the situation in France where in recent weeks the Corsican Assembly has been banned from using Corsican, a Breton language radio station was blocked by the French regulator Arcom, where communes in North Catalonia were banned from speaking Catalan, and where the French President Macron described ‘regional’ languages as a cause of division.

The ELEN statement called for “clear, unambiguous language rights and legislation that will act to ensure that our languages are represented in all public spaces.

“We urge the UN to draft a Convention, working with ELEN, and drawing from the Council of Europe’s Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, that will work to ensure the long-term protection and development of endangered, minoritized and indigenous languages.”

There was a large delegation of ELEN member organisations at the Forum with Omnium Cultural, ECMI, Plataforma per la Llengua, Kevre Breizh and CIEMEN all in attendance.

In their statement Plataforma per la Llengua called for new measures that would act to stop hate-speech against speakers of minoritised languages, especially on social media.

CIEMEN called for the UN to recognize the collective rights of peoples and to guarantee the political participation of minorities globally.

One of the main events of the Forum was the ELEN ECMI side-event which discussed improving policies and current challenges minoritized language media. Discussion focused on a range of topics from the exponential rise in hate-speech against minoritised language speakers on social media, the current legal framework, to the pressing need for social media algorithms to be democratized so that minoritized language content reaches its target audience.

Speakers at the side-event were UN Special Rapporteur for Minority Issues Nicolas Levrat, ELEN President Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, ELEN Vice-President Elena Jimenez i Botias (Omnium Cultural), Sergiusz Bober (ECMI), Craig Willis (ECMI), with moderation by ELEN Secretary-General Davyth Hicks. (Eurolang 2024)

ELEN Statement to the UN Forum for Minority Issues 2024

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