II International High-Level Conference “World Treasury of Mother Tongues: Nourish and Cherish. Context, Policy and Practice of Preserving Indigenous Languages”

This major forum is organised by the Russian Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Russian Committee of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Information for All Programme and the Interregional Library Cooperation Centre with the support of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO and the Permanent Delegation of the Russian Federation to UNESCO.

The conference is Russia’s contribution to the International Decade of Indigenous Languages and to the implementation of the UNESCO Information for All Programme, which places preservation of multilingualism and development of linguistic diversity in cyberspace among its key priorities.

The event is expected to gather about 150 prominent Russian and foreign specialists in education, culture, social and human sciences, communication and information, representatives of intergovernmental, international, regional and national non-governmental organisations, governmental bodies, national libraries, museums, archives, civil society institutions and the private sector from 40-50 countries representing various geographical regions of the world.

The conference will focus on interdisciplinary discussions on the most topical aspects of indigenous languages preservation and development, on the problems existing in this field and their potential solutions, thus providing opportunities for the exchange of best practices and further strengthening international cooperation in the field of multilingualism support.

Special attention will be paid to the following key topics:

• Multilingualism around the world: Current situation and prospects for the future
• Policies to support and develop indigenous languages: International, national, and regional aspects
• Activities by multilingualism support institutions: Key trends and challenges
• Advanced information technologies as a tool for preserving and promoting linguistic diversity in cyberspace
• Mother tongues in education
• Linguistic rights and linguistic activism
• Preservation of linguistic diversity for sustainable development.

The conference will be held in a hybrid (online/offline) format. Conference working languages are Russian and English (simultaneous interpretation).

Experts willing to attend the event are kindly asked to contact the Conference Organising Committee for detailed information.