Item 7 - International Decade of Indigenous Languages. Norway (10.07.2024)

STATEMENT

17th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Item 7 - International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

Statement Norway.

11 July 2024

Thank you, Chairperson,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank UNESCO for their efforts to organise the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, as well as all the indigenous language users, activists, and governments – across the globe – striving to implement the goals of the decade.

Indigenous Peoples’ languages represent unique worldviews, histories, and cultural identities. Yet, these languages are often marginalised, struggling for recognition, preservation, and revitalization.

Norway has joined the newly established ad hoc group on digital equality and domains, together with representatives from several other UN member states who recognize that digital communication is crucial for the preservation and promotion of Indigenous Peoples’ languages. This is especially important as younger generations embrace technology. Failure to adapt to digital formats may lead to further marginalization and the eventual disappearance of these languages.

Our goal must be that Indigenous Peoples’ languages shall be alive and in active use in all domains. To succeed in that, we must make it easy to use these languages, and more easily accessible in digital media.

On the positive side, steps have been taken in recent years to develop language tools for indigenous languages. But the work is not complete. It is still difficult to integrate indigenous languages into the most widely used digital platforms and applications. The main challenge is the reluctance of big tech companies to allow indigenous language technologies developed by third parties inside their systems.

We call upon these larger actors in digital communication and information, to increase their awareness of indigenous peoples’ languages and to provide access in their technical systems to these languages on digital platforms.

I hope we can inspire each other and join forces to ensure Indigenous Peoples’ rights to preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages in our digital age.  

Thank you.