ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Indonesian has been designated as the official language at the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday, 20 November 2023, at UNESCO Headquarters Paris, France.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to France, Andorra, Monaco, Mohamad Oemar, stated that this determination made Indonesian the 10th official language recognized by the UNESCO General Conference, alongside English, Arabic, Mandarin, French, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Italian and Portuguese.
“Indonesian has been a uniting force for the nation since pre-independence times, especially through the Youth Pledge in 1928, so that it is able to connect various ethnicities in Indonesia,” said Oemar in his statement quoted from Jakarta, Tuesday, November 21 2023.
This determination was marked by the consensus adoption of Resolution 42 C/28 in the plenary session of the 42nd UNESCO General Conference.
Oemar said that Indonesian, with more than 275 million speakers, has gone global with the inclusion of Indonesian language curricula in 52 countries, and currently, there are at least 150,000 foreign speakers who actively speak Indonesian.
“Indonesia’s active leadership at the global level began at the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955, which became the seed for the formation of a group of non-aligned countries. Indonesia has a strong commitment to continuing its leadership and positive contribution to the international world,” he said.
This contribution is marked by collaboration with other countries in overcoming global challenges, through Indonesia’s chairmanship role in the G20 forum in 2022 and ASEAN in 2023.
This recognition can increase awareness of the Indonesian language, as well as being part of global efforts to develop connectivity between nations, strengthening cooperation with UNESCO, and part of Indonesia’s commitment to cultural development at the international level.
“The recognition of Indonesian as the official language of the UNESCO General Conference will have a positive impact on peace, harmony and the achievement of sustainable development goals not only at the national level, but also throughout the world,” he said.
The Indonesian government’s efforts to propose Indonesian as the official language of the UNESCO General Conference is one of the implementations of the mandate of article 44 paragraph (1) of Law number 24 of 2009 concerning the National Flag, Language and Emblem, as well as the National Anthem, which reads, “The government is increasing the function of Indonesian as an international language gradually, systematically and sustainably,” he explained.
This proposal is also a de jure effort for Indonesian to gain official language status at an international institution, after de facto, the Indonesian government has built pockets of foreign speakers of Indonesian in 52 countries. (AT Network)
Check out other news and articles at Google News