UN designates the period between 2022 and 2032 decade of Indigenous languages

UN designates the period between 2022 and 2032 decade of Indigenous languages, according to Nunatsiaq News.

The proclamation is contained in a UN resolution on the rights of Indigenous peoples, passed in late December, that marks the end of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages.

ICC-Canada’s vice-president, international affairs, Lisa Koperqualuk, said the UN’s international year helped raise awareness of Inuit language loss and efforts aimed at strengthening the Inuit language. But, she said, a decade devoted to Indigenous language promotion will encourage more work to be done.

“We realized a year was not enough to focus on language. The decade will permit us to recover, strengthen, and revitalize our language,” Koperqualuk said.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO, will likely act as the lead agency for the international Indigenous languages decade.