Language is certainly the most decisive element in shaping the human personality and culture. Through language we communicate and express our ideas and opinions, with language we build our inner world, our beliefs, feelings and hopes. Hence, each language is the privileged place for the most personal and intimate life, and at the same time only a means of communication and social achievement, in favour of dialogue, coexistence and peace.

There are already numerous declarations, conventions and resolutions of various international agencies, particularly the UN and UNESCO, in defense of languages, cultures and intercultural relations. The signing organizations have also conducted a long task for the rights of all  the people to their own language. In 1996 we managed to agree on a 'Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, adopted in Barcelona by 61 NGOs, 41 International PEN centres and 40 distinguished experts in linguistic rights. Since then, many other public and private organizations have adopted it as an input needed to understand and accept the universal value of linguistic diversity. It has also helped them to fill the existing gaps in international law especially in relation to linguistic rights and, therefore, these gaps have been used to generate attitudes that are contrary to the principle that all languages are respectable as expressions of people and their respective linguistic communities, they are all equal in dignity.

The good idea of the proclamation by the UN of the year 2008 as "International Year of Languages" can be an excellent opportunity to move forward on the path we have embarked. In that perspective it would be of great importance for promoting peace and understanding among nations, that the UN could rule explicitly with the view that language rights are an essential element of human rights, as already implicitly recognizes the "Declaration Universal Human Rights', 1948, in its Article 2, as it proclaims that the rights and freedoms of every person must be exercised without distinction or discrimination of any kind, neither language; in its Article 27, as it recognizes that all the people must be able to exert their rights within their own community.

Therefore, we would like to ask the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, to comment on this: as a high-quality contribution to the Year of Languages; as a sign of the Council's sensitivity to one of the most fundamental human rights for coexistence and peace; as a warning to the fact that the dynamics of globalization endangers many languages that, despite being a rich heritage of mankind, are in the process of disappearing, because the linguistic rights of its speakers not being sufficiently recognized and respected. We request that the pronouncement of the Human Rights Council promotes the creation, within the United Nations, of a Commission to prepare a future Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, with the work already expound and the availability of those who are catching you up.

Barcelona-Geneva, May 2008



Aureli Argemí

General Secretary
Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights Follow-up Committee

 HRC resolution proposal linguistic rights
 Carta presentacio ONU CAST
 Resolucio ONU Cat
 Resolucio ONU ESP