Achieving the Promise of the International Year of Indigenous Languages: Outcomes, Legacies and Future Work

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73^rd Session of the UN General Assembly

22 April 2019

Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild, Assembly of First Nations,

Excellency, Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Canada,

Su Excelencia, Embajador Luis Gallegos, Representante Permanente del Ecuador ante las Naciones Unidas.

Mr Marc Miller, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations of Canada,

Grand Chief Edward John and Aili Keskitalo, Indigenous Co-Chairs of the UNESCO International Year of Indigenous Languages Steering Committee,

Ms Chandra Roy-Henrikson, our Moderator today,

Haana Edenshaw and Amaya Pilla, representatives of indigenous youth also here on the podium,

Dear Elders,

Representatives of Indigenous Peoples,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am deeply grateful to the Assembly of First Nations, and the Permanent Missions of Canada and Ecuador, Australia and Norway, for organizing this important event on: achieving the promise of the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

As a poet and long-time advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, I am delighted to deliver keynote remarks this afternoon.

Dear friends: “Language is inseparable from our way of being, our thoughts, our feelings, our joys … It is through our language that we show who we are. If our language disappears, the whole socio-cultural foundation of our community is put at risk.”

These powerful words by Maria Virginia Haoa, writing about the Rapa Nui language, capture the importance of language to identity and wellbeing, and to the history and future of societies.

This relationship is particularly intense for indigenous peoples.

Indigenous languages are rich and evolving repositories of knowledge and culture – passed on through generations; preserving values, customs, narratives and histories; and defining relationships, not just within communities but with the world outside.

For indigenous peoples, language is intertwined with survival. The Cordillera in the Philippines have developed a vocabulary to reflect their processes for cultivating rice. And this knowledge is of great significance to all of humanity.

Señoras y Señores,

Los Pueblos Indígenas sufren en todo el mundo, desproporcionadamente, los efectos del Cambio Climático. Pero no solo son víctimas, también son defensores medioambientales.

Los Pueblos indígenas mantienen cerca del 18% de la diversidad planetaria, y 85% de las áreas protegidas en el mundo. La importancia de su sabiduría se refleja en el Acuerdo Climático de París.

La preservación de las lenguas indígenas es clave para lograr los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible.

Dear friends,

In many indigenous communities, detailed knowledge of ecosystems is embedded in their vocabulary. Rural communities in India are using knowledge and practices developed centuries ago to conserve thousands of varieties of rice for example. And there are similar gains to be made across the 2030 Agenda, from indigenous use of medicinal plants to indigenous approaches to peace and reconciliation.

It is therefore extremely concerning that indigenous languages are disappearing.

An estimated forty percent of the 6,700 languages spoken in the world are under threat. Most are indigenous. If we were talking about a species of animal, we would be sounding the alarm about extinction.

Their loss, the loss of indigenous languages, would be a tragic blow for humanity – and for the planet. For indigenous peoples themselves – who have endured so-called “re-education” programmes, who have been dispossessed and slaughtered – loss of language is a fundamental human rights issue.

Language is the basis of identity. It is what makes us human; what makes us, us. It is essential to freedom of thought, opinion and expression; to the exercise of economic, social and cultural rights.

I am often reminded of a poem by Mikeas Sanchez, who writes in Zoque – and I quote:

“My grandmother never learned Spanish,

was afraid of forgetting her gods,

was afraid of waking up in the morning.”

Chers amis.

Les menaces pesant sur les langues des Peuples Autochtones font partie des problèmes des droits humains auxquels ils sont confrontés : marginalisation, discrimination, racisme, assimilation culturelle, effacement de l’identité – colonisation par d’autres moyens.

Je suis d’ailleurs très consciente du fait que je m’adresse à vous aujourd’hui en anglais, en français et en espagnol.

C’est pourquoi l’année internationale des langues autochtones – et les mesures visant à protéger et à autonomiser les peuples autochtones – devrait être replacée dans un contexte beaucoup plus large, à savoir :

– réalisation du programme 2030,

– mise en œuvre de l’accord de Paris sur le climat,

– la défense des droits humains et

– continuer à faire face aux effets du colonialisme.

Dear friends,

As we hold meetings this year on climate change, on sustainable development, on financing for development, on the culture of peace – let us ensure that: indigenous issues are prominent; indigenous peoples are present; and indigenous voices are heard.

This side event is about outcomes and future steps. Indigenous peoples are already involved in a host of initiatives to protect their languages and knowledge – from the Indian rice databases I referred to earlier, to ongoing action to prevent indigenous intellectual property from being mis-appropriated.

The United Nations, with UNESCO in the lead, has also developed several platforms to strengthen the interface between science and indigenous knowledge; and to encourage creative use of digital technologies – to capture indigenous languages and encourage the next generation to speak them.

The Yuelu proclamation includes recommendations for actions by Member States – such as language institutions and legal protections, which could include support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It also recommends the adoption of an International Decade of indigenous languages – to reflect the need for sustained efforts in this regard.

Dear friends,

We all need to work together to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples – who have struggled so long for their voices to be heard, including in this building. I hope you will attend the hearing I am convening on Thursday on the participation of indigenous peoples in the work of the United Nations.

And we all need to work together to preserve indigenous languages. Indeed, we would be foolish not to do so, given the crucial knowledge embedded in them.

So I wish you every success in your discussions today, and I encourage you all to remain actively engaged with this issue beyond this International Year.

I would like to end with a quote about the Lakota language:

“Our language comes from the song of our heartbeat. It is not something that can quickly be put into words. It is a feeling, a prayer, a thought, an emotion – all of these things are in the language.”

Thank you.