Discover the date, theme, history, significance, and essential details of International Mother Language Day in 2023.
21 February is designated as International Mother Language Day in 2023 in order to raise awareness of the value of linguistic, cultural, and multilingualism.
2023’s International Mother Language Day will be observed on February 21 to raise awareness of the diversity of languages and cultures and encourage bilingualism. India has the greatest linguistic and cultural diversity in the world, with thousands of dialects and hundreds of official languages. In addition to being a tool for communication, language also embodies a rich intellectual and cultural past.
Day of the Mother Tongue 2023: History
International Mother Language Day was established in November 1999 by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (30C/62). In its 2002 resolution A/RES/56/262, the UN General Assembly expressed appreciation for the declaration of the day.
Members of the United Nations were urged in the resolution A/RES/61/266 passed by the General Assembly on May 16, 2007, “to encourage the preservation and conservation of all languages utilized by peoples of the globe.” In fact, with the same decision, the General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of Languages in order to promote multiculturalism and multilingualism as well as to promote unity in variety. UNESCO was designated as the year’s leading organization.
