Celtic League - Languages Declaration call at UN

From the 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 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:

http://celticleague.net/archive/cl06-96.html

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,"


Related articles on Celtic News at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2516
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/message/2377

Older see older Celtic News archive at:

http://celticleague.net/archive/cl06-96.html


J B Moffatt
Director of Information
Celtic League

17/06/08


The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works
to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a
broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights
human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on
socio-economic issues.

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