Girona Manifesto
The Girona Manifesto was developed by International PEN's Translation and Linguistic Rights in May 2011 to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the Declaration. The Girona Manifesto is an updated version that condenses the primary principles of the UDLR to aid its implementation. In September 2011, the manifesto was ratified by the International PEN Assembly of Delegates at the 77th Congress.
The content of the manifesto is based on the Universal Declaration’s 10 central principles. In contrast to the comprehensive and complex declaration which plays an important role in the field of linguistics and politics, the manifesto is laid out in a concise and practical way, intended to be ‘translated and disseminated as a tool to defend linguistic diversity around the world'. The goal is to bring attention the issue of language rights back to the international agenda.
It is thought to be an important step toward protecting and promoting all of the world's languages, including the ones at risk of extinction. As John Ralston Saul, President of International PEN mentioned, " could give us a clear public document with which to defend and advance languages with smaller populations as well as endangered languages".
On 5 March 2012, the Girona Manifesto and its translated versions were presented at an event organized by Catalan PEN Centre. It was held at the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona. The manifesto has been translated in 32 languages to date.
Text of the Girona Manifesto on Linguistic Rights:
1. Linguistic diversity is a world heritage that must be valued and protected.
2. Respect for all languages and cultures is fundamental to the process of constructing and maintaining dialogue and peace in the world.
3. All individuals learn to speak in the heart of a community that gives them life, language, culture and identity.
4. Different languages and different ways of speaking are not only means of communication; they are also the milieu in which humans grow and cultures are built.
5. Every linguistic community has the right for its language to be used as an official language in its territory.
6. School instruction must contribute to the prestige of the language spoken by the linguistic community of the territory.
7. It is desirable for citizens to have a general knowledge of various languages, because it favours empathy and intellectual openness, and contributes to a deeper knowledge of one’s own tongue.
8. The translation of texts, especially the great works of various cultures, represents a very important element in the necessary process of greater understanding and respect among human beings.
9. The media is a privileged loudspeaker for making linguistic diversity work and for competently and rigorously increasing its prestige.
10. The right to use and protect one’s own language must be recognized by the United Nations as one of the fundamental human rights
Read more about this topic: Universal Declaration Of Linguistic Rights, Developments