以母语的力量建设和平与可持续发展

UNESCO celebrates the power of mother languages to build peace and sustainability

以母语的力量建设和平与可持续发展

Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.

每2周就有一种语言消失，并带走与之关联的整个文化和知识遗产。

On International Mother Language Day 2018 (https://en.unesco.org/international-days/international-mother-language-day), celebrated every year on 21 February, UNESCO reiterates its commitment to linguistic diversity and invites its Member States to celebrate the day in as many languages as possible as a reminder that linguistic diversity and multilingualism are essential for sustainable development.

每年的2月21日是国际母语日，在2018年的这一天，教科文组织重申自身对语言多样性的承诺，并邀请会员国以尽可能多的语言表达对国际母语日的庆祝，以提请公众关注语言多样性和多语现象对可持续发展的重要性。

This year UNESCO also commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/) and its bold statement that ‘no discrimination can be made on the basis of language’ and celebrates its translation into more than 500 languages. This is also supported in the 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education (http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=12949%26URL_DO=DO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION=201.html) which prohibits any discriminatory practices in education, notably discrimination based on language.

今年是《世界人权宣言》发表70周年。在纪念宣言本身的同时，教科文组织纪念其 “不能以语言为理由进行歧视”的论断，以及宣言被翻译成500多种语言这一事实。1960年发布的《反对教育歧视公约》亦支持这一立场，该公约禁止在教育方面采取任何歧视性做法，包括基于语言的歧视。

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in her message for the day said: “A language is far more than a means of communication; it is the very condition of our humanity. Our values, our beliefs and our identity are embedded within it. It is through language that we transmit our experiences, our traditions and our knowledge. The diversity of languages reflects the incontestable wealth of our imaginations and ways of life.”

教科文组织总干事阿祖莱在国际母语日致辞中说：“语言不仅仅是一种交流工具，语言是人类的基本条件。在语言中，积淀着我们的价值观、信仰及身份认同；通过语言，传递着我们的经验、传统与知识。语言的多样性反映了我们丰富多彩的想象力和生活方式。”

UNESCO has been celebrating International Mother Language Day for nearly 20 years with the aim of preserving linguistic diversity and promoting mother tongue-based multilingual education.

为了保护语言多样性、促进以母语为基础的多语言教育，教科文组织的国际母语日庆祝活动已经延续了近20年。

Importance of mother tongue in education

母语在教育中的重要性

Linguistic diversity is increasingly threatened as more and more languages disappear. Globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.

随着越来越多的语言从世界消失，语言多样性越来越受到威胁。在全球范围内，40％的人口无法用他们所说或所了解的语言（母语）接受学校教育。尽管如此，以母语为基础的多语言教育正在取得进展，在公共生活中推广多语言的努力日趋多见。人们越来越认识到多语言教育的重要性，尤其是在学前教育阶段。

Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.

多语言和多文化社会通过多种语言以可持续的方式传播和保存传统知识和文化得以存续。

UNESCO uses the day to focus on linguistic diversity and multilingualism as an integral part of sustainable development, and in particular to realize targets 4.6 and 4.7 of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on education.

在国际母语日，教科文组织还将强调语言多样性和多语现象是可持续发展的必需组成部分，其对实现关于教育的可持续发展目标4（SDG4）的4.6和4.7款尤为重要。

The SDGs depend on linguistic diversity and multilingualism as a vital contribution to Global Citizenship Education as they promote intercultural connections and better ways of living together.

可持续发展目标有赖于语言多样性和多语言现象，因为它们促进了跨文化联系和更好和谐共存方式，从而能对全球公民教育做出重要贡献。

The event will be marked at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris by a language experts’ debate on the theme 'Our languages, our assets” in collaboration with the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (https://www.francophonie.org/Welcome-to-the-International.html). There will also be a presentation of the Global Education Monitoring Report on Language of instruction and literacy in multilingual contexts. Download the programme (https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/imld2018-programme-en.pdf)

国际母语日重要活动包括在教科文组织巴黎总部召开的语言专家讨论会，会议主题为“我们的语言，我们的资产”，系由教科文组织与法语国家组织合作举办。当日活动还包括关于《全球教育监测报告》中多语言环境下的教学语言和识字的报告。（日程下载）

The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the world since 2000. In Bangladesh the 21 February is the anniversary of the day when Bangladeshis fought for recognition for the Bangla language.

庆祝国际母语日的想法系由孟加拉国提议，并在1999年教科文组织大会上通过。自2000年以来，世界各地一直在庆祝这一活动。在孟加拉国，2月21日是其争取孟加拉语获得承认的纪念日。