Download - Российский комитет Программы ЮНЕСКО ...

National and Local Authorities
National and local official policies and activities are prime. Effective policies
include a combination of active, consistent, complementary steps to stimulate
and add value to the activities by all major stakeholders. They should be
allocated a duty to facilitate the preservation, free expression and development
of linguistic, ethno-cultural and religious identity of ethnic communities, their
cultural values, traditions, folklore, as well as the expansion of the domains of
national languages’ use via the practical application of principles of cultural
pluralism, bilingualism and multilingualism.
This goal demands the enactment of special laws (and/or update of the
already existing ones) creating favorable environment for the preservation and
equitable and authentic development of a country’s languages. Monitoring and
ensuring compliance with these laws is also essential. They can provide a basis
for the formation of a broad system of statutory regulation of activities by legal
entities and individuals, and for the elaboration of by-laws.
Constitutions of many countries affirm bilingualism and multilingualism,
stressing the equality of languages. Education in the state’s official languages is
guaranteed, and citizens are often free to choose the main language of education.
Federal and regional language laws should stipulate that the acquisition of the
state status by certain languages must not encroach on the linguistic rights and
expression by all ethnic entities historically inhabiting a particular territory.
Programmes of socio-economic, national and cultural development should be
elaborated based on a set of measures to preserve and develop minority languages
and cultures, to extend cooperation of all peoples for mutual intellectual and
spiritual enrichment. Respect for customs, traditions, values, and institutions
reflecting ethnic cultural specificity is a prerequisite for such programmes.
Authorities should contribute to systemic language studies and multilingualism
promotion in education, administration, law, cultural education, news media
and cyberspace.
The attainment of those goals can be facilitated by:
• establishing a regulatory framework for the development of languages
at the national level (the national constitution and federal laws, along
with constituent entities’ constitutions, statutes and laws);
36
• forming and implementing cultural and educational strategies, policies
and programmes explicitly aiming to promote minority cultures and
languages;