INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES 2019

That this House welcomes the launch of the International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019; recognises the rich diversity of indigenous languages spoken across the British Isles including Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Welsh, Doric, Romany, Cornish, Irish Gaelic and British Sign Language; welcomes the UN’s recognition of the importance of these languages as expression of a person’s culture, history, knowledge and traditions that have endured across the centuries; notes with concern that the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues said 40 per cent of the estimated 6,700 languages spoken around the world are in danger of disappearing; welcomes this opportunity for global co-operation to promote and protect indigenous languages as tools for greater mutual understanding, peace-building and reconciliation.