Plenary Session of the 42nd General Conference of UNESCO on 20 November 2023 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. (Photo:kemlu.go.id)Jakarta (VNA) – Bahasa Indonesia wasdesignated as an official language of the UNESCO General Conference during theplenary session of the 42nd session of the General Conference in Paris on November20.
It is the 10th language recognised as an official language of the UNESCO General Conference, in addition to English,Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Italian, andPortuguese.
Indonesian Ambassador to France, Andorra, and MonacoMohamad Oemar affirmed that the Indonesian language has been the nation'suniting force since pre-independence times, especially through the Youth Pledgein 1928, so it is able to connect various ethnicities in Indonesia.
The Antara News Agency quoted his statement as sayingthe recognition was marked by the adoption of Resolution 42 C/28 by consensusduring the plenary session.
Oemar noted that more than 275 million people speakBahasa Indonesia. The curriculum of the language has entered 52 countries, andcurrently at least 150 thousand foreign speakers actively use it.
He emphasised that the recognition will increaseawareness of the Indonesian language and contribute to develop connectivitybetween nations, strengthen cooperation with UNESCO, and is part of Indonesia'scommitment to cultural development at the global level.
The recognition of the language will have a positive impact on peace, harmony,and the achievement of sustainable development goals not only at the nationallevel but also throughout the world, he affirmed.
The Indonesian government's effort to proposeIndonesian as the conference's official language fulfills the mandate ofArticle 44, Paragraph 1 of Law Number 24 of 2009.
This proposal is also ade jure effort to make Indonesian the official language of an internationalinstitution./.
