Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. UNESCO established World Day of Turkic Languages Culture and education
Participants at the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, which is taking place these days in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, adopted a resolution establishing the World Day of Turkic Languages. It will be celebrated on December 15th.
As stated in the document, the proclamation of the World Day of Turkic Languages will contribute to the implementation of UNESCO’s priorities in the field of linguistic and cultural diversity, regional and global cooperation, preservation and development of oral traditions and forms of expression.
The item on Turkic languages was included in the agenda at the request of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan with the support of 21 member states. December 15 was not chosen by chance: on this day in 1893, the Danish scientist Wilhelm Thomsen announced the deciphering of the alphabet of the Orkhon inscriptions, one of the oldest written documents testifying to the origin of the Turkic language family, which gave rise, in particular, to Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Turkmen and Uzbek languages.
As part of the World Day, various cultural presentations and events such as exhibitions, lectures, literary evenings, artistic performances will be held in order to demonstrate the cultural and social value of this language family as an object of cultural diversity of the Turkic-speaking states, as well as to raise awareness about the Turkic language family and its contribution to human development.
Turkic languages are the mother tongues of more than 200 million people, living in an area of about 12 million square kilometers in several UNESCO Member States.
General Conference
The General Conference, the 43rd session of which is being held in Uzbekistan and will last until November 13, determines the direction and general line of UNESCO’s activities. Her responsibilities include determining the programs and budget of the Organization. It also elects the members of the Executive Board and, every four years, appoints the Director-General.
The General Conference includes representatives of all Member States of UNESCO. The event meets every two years and is attended by Member States and Associate Members, as well as observers from non-Member States of UNESCO, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations. Each Member State has one vote at the General Conference, regardless of population size and the amount of its contribution to the budget.