UNESCO highlighting importance of Indigenous languages in 10-year plan – CBC

Dec 23, 2022

UNESCO held conference this month on its action plan on decade of Indigenous languages

For Alice Rigney, speaking her Dene language connects her to her ancestors and to the land.

Growing up in Jackfish Lake on the Athabasca River, Rigney said most people around her spoke either Dene or Cree languages.

Now, “we’re losing it,” she said.

“I believe that if we don’t use [the language], we’re going to lose it.”

A 10-year action plan by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) speaks to Rigney’s concerns and addresses the need to preserve and grow Indigenous languages internationally.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/unesco-decade-of-indigenous-languages-1.6696136