On the occasion of International Mother Language Day on Friday, 21 February 2025, UNPO hosted a webinar titled “Beyond Words: Language as People’s Right”, the first of the series “Peoples’ Rights, Peoples’ Future – The Foundation of Our Shared Future”.
The webinar, opened by Elisenda Paluzie, Vice President and Treasurer of UNPO and a member of the Catalan National Assembly, and moderated by Nieves Cancela, UNPO’s Global Advocacy Officer, with support from Navashna Gajithar, UNPO’s Legal and Policy Officer, brought together representatives from four UNPO member communities: Khmer-Krom, Catalonia, Kabylia, and West Balochistan. Each representative highlighted the crucial role of linguistic rights in empowering communities and shaping their futures. Throughout the discussion, speakers also emphasized the significant risks posed by language loss, underscoring how the erosion of linguistic diversity directly threatens cultural heritage, identity, and self-determination.
The first speaker, Jordi Vilanova, representing Catalonia, outlined the challenges faced by Catalan speakers under the Spanish state. He explained that Catalonia and Valencia share the same language and similar struggles due to the historical and ongoing repression of non-Spanish languages, particularly during Spain’s nation-building efforts in the 19th and 20th centuries. Although Catalan is an official language in schools, recent judicial measures have increasingly favored Spanish, with Spanish dominating the media and public administration, further diminishing Catalan’s presence in public life. Despite ongoing efforts to make Catalan an official language at the EU level, enforcement within Spain remains inconsistent. The speaker emphasized that language and self-determination are inextricably linked, with Catalan identity being central to the independence movement.
The second speaker, Taj Baloch, from West Balochistan, discussed the accelerating loss of the Balochi language, which is being actively suppressed in Pakistan. Many Baloch people today can no longer speak their native language, as economic pressures push them to learn other languages for better opportunities. Since Pakistan’s occupation in 1948, ongoing conflicts and state policies have systematically eroded the Balochi language and identity, with security forces regularly raiding book stalls and seizing materials. Despite these challenges, younger generations are actively working to reclaim their identity through language revival efforts. The speaker underscored the crucial role of grassroots initiatives, advocating for decentralized resources, the development of educational materials, and community-driven mobilization, emphasizing that language is not just a means of communication but a powerful tool for unity and ethnic empowerment.
The third speaker, Moni Mau representing the Khmer-Krom community from Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, described the severe erosion of the Khmer language, as Vietnamese dominates all aspects of life with no programs in place to preserve Khmer. In schools, children receive only a limited number of hours of Khmer instruction per week, leaving many unable to read or write in their native language. Additionally, Khmer is absent from media and public documents, and even personal names are often changed to Vietnamese, reflecting a broader policy of forced assimilation. This systematic suppression has resulted in a loss of cultural identity and a growing disconnection from history and ancestral heritage, underscoring the urgent need for reversal efforts. The speaker emphasized the importance of Vietnam taking action to ensure better integration of Khmer in public life and education.
The final speaker, Mourad Amellal, representing the Kabylia community, highlighted how Kabyle has been denied official recognition since Algeria’s independence in 1962, despite being the mother tongue of the Kabyle people. Although the struggle for recognition led to a successful school boycott, which contributed to Tamazight (the broader Berber language family) being declared a national language in the constitution, Kabyle itself remains excluded from official spaces such as administration and the judiciary. The Algerian government’s refusal to acknowledge Kabyle as a distinct language and culture continues to undermine the identity of the Kabyle people, with the speaker emphasizing that denying a people’s language is an explicit attempt to erase their very existence.
The webinar concluded with remarks from Elisenda Paluzie, who emphasized that, despite the varying complexities and scales of each community’s struggle for self-determination, all share common challenges in protecting their identities and safeguarding their languages from erasure. When self-determination is denied and assimilation policies are enforced, language is often one of the primary targets, making it increasingly difficult for peoples to maintain their distinct identities. Therefore, it is essential to implement campaigns and initiatives, such as this webinar, aimed at preserving languages and raising awareness about the importance of linguistic rights. Furthermore, as the digital world rapidly advances, especially with AI technologies, the potential for utilizing AI and digital tools in linguistic preservation was discussed, with a strong emphasis on embracing these tools as allies in the fight to protect both cultural and linguistic heritage.
Through this webinar and its broader initiatives, UNPO reaffirmed its dedication to advocating for linguistic rights as a key component of self-determination, empowering peoples to preserve, celebrate, and cultivate their languages, ensuring their vitality for future generations.
