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The UNESCO Chair on World Linguistic Heritage of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is a UNESCO Chair specialized in the field of minority languages, and is part of the UNITWIN network. The Chair focuses on cultural and linguistic richness, with a special focus on vulnerable and endangered languages.
As stated in its Foundation Agreement (article 2), our Chair is engaged in research on local and global linguistic diversity, and the challenges that our society has to face in order to preserve and revitalize minority and minoritized languages. To meet these challenges, the Chair conducts research on multilingual education in its most significant components.
In order to contribute to the safeguarding of the linguistic heritage of humanity, to stimulate quality multilingual education and to promote initiatives that enhance linguistic and cultural diversity, the Chair carries out the following actions:
- Promoting and offering teaching and education in Linguistic Heritage (courses, seminars, conferences).
- Carrying out and fostering research on Linguistic and Cultural Heritage.
- Spreading knowledge of the World Linguistic Heritage in the Basque Country and raising awareness in society of the need to conserve it.
- Acknowledging the Linguistic and Cultural Heritage of the Basque Country in its diversity, and promoting research and training initiatives that favor the most appropriate management of it.
- Promoting and reinforcing collaboration between international organizations working in the field of Linguistic Heritage, and developing joint initiatives with these networks.
- Developing awareness-raising and public attention campaigns on the value of linguistic diversity; building resources, and fostering collaboration with other institutions involved.
All in all, the objective of the UNESCO Chair of World Linguistic Heritage of the UPV/EHU is to develop research, training, information and documentation work for a better knowledge of World Linguistic Heritage and its situation.
The International Decade of Indigenous Languages is a unique platform to alert the global community and highlight the important contribution of indigenous peoples through their languages to peace building, sustainable development and human rights, and to strongly reinforce the call for concrete action against discrimination and exclusion because of language.
The UNESCO Chair on World Language Heritage (UCWLH) aims to contribute to the IDIL 2022-2032 in different ways.
Making public the initiatives carried out by the Chair and the results of these initiatives, for example, in the case of linguistic cooperation.
Raising awareness of the importance of languages in achieving the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda.
Organizing conferences and events that contribute to a better understanding of the linguistic richness and the circumstances that accompany minority languages.
Contributing to the creation and diffusion of audiovisual material in indigenous languages.
Collaborating with other entities in the organization of different events that may eventually take place in the coming years.
To meet these challenges, the Chair will keep conducting research on
- content and language integrated learning (CLIL) in multilingual models with at least one minority language
- teacher training for teachers that require this pedagogical intervention
- the study of new speakers’ attitudes dealing with the use and transmission of minority languages
- the creation and evaluation of teaching devices for multilingual school settings dealing with minoritized/endangered languages and dominant languages
- materials and assessment programs needed to implement such bilingual/multilingual teaching models
- etc.
Globally, our Chair will promote research, education and training by carrying out language cooperation in several development aid projects which are devoted to endangered indigenous languages and teacher training (right now in Colombia, with Nasa-yuwe communities and in São Tomé with the Forro community, but other communities might also be present on the following years). We use the Basque know-how and expertise in language revitalization to help and advice other communities in the world to find their own way to safeguard their linguistic heritage by revitalizing their autochthonous languages and becoming multilingual speakers.
We work on language as a cross-cutting theme for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our activity contributes to the 2030 SDGs as we consider that language, as a fundamental part of the intangible heritage of a community, is one of the cross-cutting criteria for reaching sustainable development, social inclusion and cohesion, dialogue, peace and security. This is most clear when taking into account education and gender equality through education (c.f. Why Language Matters for the MDGs, UNESCO Bangkok, 2012).
The Chair collaborates with the Academic sector, with UNESCO related organisms, with various grassroots actors and with public entities, and is also part of the recently created multi-sector Regional Centre of Expertise Basque Country – Navarre.
UNESCO related organisms:
Our Chair participated in the IYIL2019, it has regular contact with UNESCO Spain office and participates in the Spanish UNESCO Chairs meetings and conferences, as well as with UN Etxea - UNESCO Basque Country Centre and with Basque UNESCO Network - Euskal Herriko UNESCO Sarea (EHUS), where the collaboration is regular and direct.
Regional Centre of Expertise Basque-Country Navarre:
The Chair is part of it since its creation and collaborated to the proposal sent to the UN University during 2022 in order for it to be established. The long-term objectives of the RCE Basque Country-Navarre are to achieve complicity among entities and individuals active in the field of Education for Sustainability, and to boost innovative and inclusive methodologies that seek learning for action in the field of Education for Sustainability.
One of the main projects of the RCE Basque Country-Navarre is the creation of the Factoría 4.7. Plataforma Iberoamericana de Educación para el Desarrollo Sostenible (Iberoamerican Platform for Education on Sustainable Development), in collaboration with several entities of South America. It is a site to gather resources to be implemented in Education to work on the SDGs, and the Chair is, as well as the rest of the participants, uploading all the materials that will be created, in our case the materials linked to the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity for sustainable development.
University and academic research area:
Several Chair members are part of the Resarch Group ELEBILAB. Its research on multilingual education makes it possible for the Chair to be in constant and regular contact with other researchers of the field worldwide through conferences and meetings.
The Chair has direct collaboration with its host institution, the Univerisity of the Basque Country, and particularly collaborates with the Sustainability Directorate of the UPV/EHU and with other UPV/EHU UNESCO Chairs.
There is a project with the University of Aberystwyth in Wales. This collaboration is developed mainly to explore the link between sustainable development and minoritized languages, both from the welsh and basque perspectives.
Grassroots actors:
The Chair has various agreements with Associations and NGOs related to linguistic and/or cultural topics:
• Cluster of Sociolinguistics
• Garabide Non-Governmental Development Organization for Linguistic Cooperation
• Asociación Africanista Manuel Iradier Non-Governmental Development Organization
• Cooperación Bierzo Sur Non-Governmental Development Organization
• Euskal Gorrak - Basque Deafs
• Ayuda en Acción (AA)
• Oihaneder Cultural Association
• HIGA - Meeting of young speakers of minority languages. HIGA is a biannual meeting of young speakers of minority languages whose aim is the revitalisation of minority languages and the development of a fruitful network between different linguistic communities from all over the world.
• University of Cauca
• Woxsen University
Public organisms:
There are agreements with three different public organisms:
• TV3, Catalan Public TV, a non-funding agreement for a project related to creating animations in different languages and to promote linguistic and cultural sensitivity
• Partner institutions include the Basque Government (Department Of Language Policy), as well as different Research Councils from which the Chair members receive research funding