International Mother Language Day, celebrated on 21 February every year since 2000, will also mark this year the start of the International Year of Languages proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, which has entrusted its coordination to UNESCO. (go to the website)
Andrew Barr MLA, ACT Minister for Education & Training, spoke at the opening of the Language Matters! professional development conference in Stirling, part of the Government's extra $300,000 commitment to provide better language education to ACT students. (go to the media release web page) (download Mr Barr's speech notes)
Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, delivered this message in November 2007, putting the International Year of Languages into a social and historical context delimited by the short and long term goals of the United Nations. (go to the website)