UNESCO celebrates International Mother Language Day

A high-level event dedicated to International Mother Language Day was held at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, bringing together diplomats, educators, and cultural representatives from around the world, AzerNEWS reports.

The event was organized jointly by the Permanent Delegation of Bangladesh to UNESCO and UNESCO's Education Sector, with Azerbaijan also represented. The gathering highlighted the importance of linguistic diversity in education, culture, and global development.

As part of the program, a panel discussion was held on the theme "Language for Peace, Education, and Sustainable Development." Panelists outlined the role of multilingualism in promoting peace, fostering inclusive and quality education, and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

They also discussed how education in one's mother tongue contributes to cognitive and personal development, builds self-confidence, and helps preserve cultural identity.

Following the formal session, the event featured a rich cultural program. Azerbaijani performer Sona Iskandarli presented the songs "Olkam" and "Hamidan gozal menam", accompanied by a traditional national dance performance.

International Mother Language Day, observed globally on February 21, was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999 at the initiative of Bangladesh.

The date commemorates the 1952 movement in Dhaka, where students advocating for the recognition of the Bangla language as one of the state languages of then-East Pakistan were tragically killed.

Since then, the day has grown into a worldwide celebration of linguistic and cultural diversity, encouraging communities to preserve their native languages and promote multilingual education.

In Azerbaijan, International Mother Language Day is widely observed in schools, universities, and cultural institutions.

Events include educational programs, literary readings, and cultural performances that celebrate the Azerbaijani language and literature, as well as the country's rich linguistic heritage.

The day serves to reinforce national identity while promoting respect for all languages spoken within the country and encouraging multilingual education.

UNESCO uses the day each year to raise awareness about the importance of mother languages in fostering tolerance, peace, and social inclusion.

The theme for 2026 is "Youth voices on multilingual education," placing young people at the heart of global efforts to advance linguistic diversity and inclusive education.

As stated on UNESCO website, "Young people are not only inheritors of linguistic diversity: they are key actors in its future. Ensuring that they can access education, information and digital spaces in their own languages is essential for inclusion, equity and sustainable development.

The 2026 edition also highlights the growing digital dimension of multilingualism. Online content remains heavily concentrated in a limited number of languages, while AI systems rely primarily on dominant-language data. UNESCO continues to advance multilingualism in cyberspace through global policy frameworks, partnerships and initiatives supporting Indigenous and underrepresented languages."