Deputy PM: Our Mission has Shifted from Preserving Kurdish Language to Developing It

Deputy PM's Media

KRG Deputy PM Qubad Talabani.

Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, marked International Mother Language Day by calling on the government and scientific centres to work according to a coordinated plan to promote the Kurdish language in line with scientific change, progress and globalisation — not only to protect it from marginalisation and being made subordinate to other languages, but also to ensure it is as rooted and as valued as the living languages of the world.

“On International Mother Language Day, we congratulate all writers, poets and those who, for decades, have used their chests and voices as shields to protect the Kurdish language. Like lost soldiers, they have endured great suffering for our language. Today, together with the guardians of the language, we hope that all Kurdish children enjoy the basic right to be educated in the sweet Kurdish language,” Deputy PM Talabani said.

“Now, in the Kurdistan Region, our mission has shifted from preserving the language to developing it. The government and scientific centres must work according to a coordinated plan to promote the Kurdish language in line with scientific change, progress and globalisation — not only to protect it from marginalisation and being made subordinate to other languages, but also to make it as rooted and as valued as the living languages of the world,” he added.

Observed annually on 21 February, International Mother Language Day promotes awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as multilingualism. The day was proclaimed by UNESCO’s General Conference on 17 November 1999 and was later formally recognised by the United Nations, underscoring the importance of preserving and promoting mother tongues as vital instruments for safeguarding traditions, culture and history.



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