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The company supported the launch of a web-site dedicated to the International Year of Indigenous languages

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The main purpose of this initiative is to improve the awareness of local communities about the condition of dying languages around the world, and to explain the link between language, social development, peaceful co-existence and conflict management. 

According to the UN, there are 370 million people of indigenous populations in 90 countries, and ca. 7,000 languages. According to the Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger of Disappearing, launched by UNESCO, 90% of all languages on the planet are in danger. 

The Russian Federation is a home to 193 nationalities, speaking more than 270 languages and dialects. Our country has a unique experience in safeguarding the ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity. 

To organise and hold the planned events in the Russian Federation, an organisation committee was established, combining the representatives of government authorities, the expert community and scientific community, general public and businesses. The organisation committee is headed by Head of the Federal Agency for the Affairs of Nationalities Igor Barinov. The new web-site is operating under the supervision of this Agency. 

“Issues relating to the conservation and support of indigenous languages are critical to Russia, a multilingual and multi-ethnic nation. Unfortunately, the global trends demonstrate the inescapable tendency toward loss of languages. In this connection, events that attract the attention of the global community to this problem are extremely important. Our State supports the languages of even the smallest ethnic groups, because each language represents a large layer of the nationality’s cultural heritage and is a part of its history”, Igor Barinov said. 

“Language is the mechanism to safeguard the cultural heritage of the mankind. However, today many languages are in danger of disappearing and in need of support. This is a sphere where the combined efforts of the state, the scientific community, the interested general public and socially responsibly businesses are especially important. For many years Sakhalin Energy has supported projects aiming to safeguard and promote the languages of indigenous peoples of the North in Russia and abroad. We hope that the web-site of the International Year of Indigenous Languages will help consolidate the information on the initiatives carried out by our country in this sphere”, – commented Press-Secretary of Sakhalin Energy Natalia Gonchar. 

Information on events and projects in support of indigenous languages can be sent by interested parties to iyil2019@fadn.gov.ru for placement on the web-site. 

5 March 2019

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