Call for proposals: Arabic version of UNESCO World Atlas of Languages
Building on the previous versions of the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger (2010), a new UNESCO World Atlas of Languages (WAL) will be developed. The new WAL will be a detailed record of languages and will become the world’s most extensive repository of linguistic diversity, capturing, inter alia, the diversity of languages, their types, structure and affiliation, state and status, users and usage. It will be based on multidimensional approach and allow demonstration of linguistic diversity in a multi-layered manner taking advantage of recent technological and scientific progresses.
As part of the new WAL, UNESCO is now inviting proposals for Technical Development of the Arabic Version of the World Atlas.
The Arabic version of the new UNESCO World Atlas of Languages (WAL) will:
- Contribute to the safeguarding of the world’s diverse linguistic, cultural and documentary heritage, to be provided in multiple languages, particularly for the Arabic language speaking world and Arab States of UNESCO;
- Reinforce the modalities for implementation of UNESCO’s Recommendation concerning the Promotion of Universal Access and Multilingualism in Cyberspace (2003), International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL2022-2032), and other international normative instruments and initiatives; and
- Provide access to reliable data on language situations around the world for the informed policy and decision making, and strengthen international cooperation, knowledge sharing and partnerships among a range of public governmental, academia and community level organizations and individuals.
The initiative is taking place in an effort to promote linguistic diversity and multilingualism, particularly in the context of the promotion and implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation Concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace (2003). This version of the new WAL will serve as an input to celebrate World Arabic Language Day to sensitize a wide range of stakeholders about the importance of data on languages.