On the occasion of the launching of the International Year
of Languages, this workshop will gather specialists to debate on the effectiveness
of the existing legal instruments that protect and promote multilingualism worldwide.
At a regional level, the European Charter for Regional or
Minority Languages - the only international treaty specifically devoted to the
protection and promotion of regional or minority languages - is celebrating its
10th anniversary. Ten years after its
entry into force, the workshop will provide
the opportunity to assess how the Charter operates in practice and to what
extent it protects the European cultural heritage. This experience will be put into a broader
context with a special perspective on Africa's experience
of linguistic diversity and multilingualism. Finally, case studies from
different countries around the world, as well as from NGOs will complement this
overview.
The seminar will try to answer some of the following
questions : Can we see patterns emerging from the contributions and
discussions? What are the concrete benefits for languages? What are the limits?
Can synergies be encouraged among the different actors?
Interpretation will be provided in the following languages:
English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic
