[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”-76px|auto||auto||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
21 February 2023<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n
First and foremost, thank you very much for the beautiful songs. You not only made my day, I think you made my week. It was the highlight of my week. Many thanks to you.<\/p>\n
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Excellencies,<\/p>\n
My good friend Under-Secretary-General,<\/p>\n
Distinguished delegates,<\/p>\n
Dear friends,<\/p>\n
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It is a pleasure to join you for the observance of the International Mother Language Day.<\/p>\n
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I thank the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh for organizing this event \u2013 and for the initiative that sparked Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵESCO\u2019s proclamation of the International Day in 1999,\u00a0congratulations<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n Mother language is our first tool for understanding the world.<\/p>\n \n Our mother language is the soundtrack of our childhood.<\/p>\n \n It plays a critical role in the development of our identities.<\/p>\n \n It is shaped by our past, our culture, our environment.<\/p>\n \n And it shapes our existence, expressions and interactions.<\/p>\n \n Then when we grow up, Mother Language becomes our portable homeland.<\/p>\n \n And throughout our lives, it will remain the flag of our voices as T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s famous poet, Fazil Husnu Daglarca described.<\/p>\n \n Dear Friends,<\/p>\n \n The 6,000 languages spoken around the world showcase the rich cultural diversity of our planet. That\u2019s what we have.<\/p>\n \n They all belong to humanity\u2019s precious joint heritage.<\/p>\n \n Unfortunately, some mother languages are on the brink of extinction, threatened by globalization and our ever-growing online civilization.<\/p>\n \n When a language recedes, so too does the unique historical and spiritual knowledge it embodied for centuries.<\/p>\n \n We lose perspectives. Lose ideas. A distinct way of being human.<\/p>\n \n We cannot allow our vast linguistic bounty to slip away with the shifting sands of time.<\/p>\n \n It is critical that we preserve it.<\/p>\n \n We can do this, first and foremost, by ensuring that all young people are given the option of learning in their mother tongue.<\/p>\n \n Access to multilingual and mother tongue education is a vital accelerator of progress to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4.<\/p>\n \n But the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity is possible only if all mother tongues are freely used in public life, culture and communications.<\/p>\n \n This is especially crucial for groups speaking minority and indigenous languages.<\/p>\n \n Excellencies,<\/p>\n \n Nelson Mandela beautifully observed that \u201cif you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart\u201d.<\/p>\n \n The use of mother languages promotes tolerance and social inclusion.<\/p>\n \n It can help us in our quest for transformative solutions as we tackle today\u2019s interlocking challenges.<\/p>\n \n Let us continue to celebrate and nurture the speaking of one\u2019s mother language to truly ensure we leave no one behind.<\/p>\n \n For, in the words of Hungary\u2019s famous linguist Ferenc Kazinczy, mother tongue is \u201cnot mine, not yours, but sweetly ours\u201d.<\/p>\n \n In Hungarian, \u201cA nyelv nem az eny\u00e9m, nem a ti\u00e9d, hanem az \u00e9des mienk.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Thank you very much.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 21 February 2023 First and foremost, thank you very much for the beautiful songs. You not only made my day, I think you made my week. It was the highlight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" 10 November 2022<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\r\n Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\r\n Afghanistan is in crisis. It is in many crises.<\/p>\r\n It has been 15 months since the Taliban consolidated control over the country.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Its economy is in ruins. The humanitarian situation is disastrous.<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Two-thirds of the population is hungry.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Girls and women are banned from learning, having a job or getting proper medical care.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n The country is awash with heroin and opium.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Organized crime and terrorist organizations are thriving once again.<\/span><\/p>\r\n Afghanistan is facing complex and interlinked challenges that the Taliban have shown they cannot \u2013 or would not \u2013 solve.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\r\n It is time to support the Afghan people with concrete solutions that place their needs front and center.<\/p>\r\n It is true that some problems will require some time to resolve.<\/p>\r\n But there are actions the Assembly can take to change the paradigm now.<\/p>\r\n I would like you to consider one solution through solidarity.<\/p>\r\n The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan \u2013 which requires $4.4 billion US dollars \u2013 is only half funded.<\/p>\r\n With winter weather just weeks away, I encourage Member States to provide urgent support to help reduce the $2.3 billion dollar shortfall.<\/p>\r\n Let\u2019s remind ourselves of the old saying from Afghanistan: \u201cA real friend is one who takes the hand of his friend in times of distress and helplessness.\u201d<\/p>\r\n Excellencies,<\/p>\r\n Afghanistan has a rich history of scientific achievement.<\/p>\r\n I encourage the country\u2019s reengagement with the international science community.<\/p>\r\n And\u00a0to allow women who used to be respected members of the country\u2019s science community to resume their research and their studies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/span>Afghanistan is now the only state in the world that would deny girls their full right to education.<\/p>\r\n The prospect of girls\u2019 education has been left to uncertainty amid seemingly random edicts from the Taliban.<\/p>\r\n This time last year, Fawzia Koofi, the first woman Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Parliament, recalled her dream of one day addressing the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ as the President of Afghanistan.<\/p>\r\n She said:\u00a0\u201cWith me, millions of girls and women in Afghanistan had this dream that now they think will never come true.\u201d<\/p>\r\n Dreams of becoming President have been replaced by the reality of child marriage. Arrests if women and girls leave their home without a male chaperone.<\/p>\r\n I reiterate my call for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of all Afghans, especially women and girls.<\/p>\r\n Similarly, I urge the Taliban to ensure the safety of all Afghans, regardless of gender, ethnic background, religious belief or political affiliation.<\/p>\r\n To protect journalists and civil society members.<\/p>\r\n To allow unhindered humanitarian aid, and to cooperate with humanitarian workers.<\/p>\r\n We expect the Taliban to make good on the commitments they made to the international community.\u00a0To show honesty through\u00a0concrete action.<\/p>\r\n Excellencies,<\/p>\r\n The dramatic changes of 2021 have taken a massive toll on Afghanistan\u2019s economy and profoundly widened many security risks.<\/p>\r\n