Indonesian Becomes the Official Language of the UNESCO General Conference

The recognition of Indonesian as the official language of the UNESCO General Conference is proof of the potential for internationalization of the Indonesian language.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Bahasa Indonesia Jadi Bahasa Resmi Konferensi Umum UNESCO

DOKUMENTASI KBRI PARIS

One of the scenes at the 42nd General Conference of UNESCO at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, on November 7-22, 2023. During this conference, on November 20, 2023, Indonesian was officially designated as one of the 10 official languages of the UNESCO General Conference.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Bahasa Indonesia is now one of the official languages of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). There are currently 10 official languages of the UNESCO General Conference, consisting of six UN languages, namely English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish, as well as four other languages of UNESCO member countries, namely Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, and Indonesian.

"Thus, Indonesian language is recognized as the 10th official language in the UNESCO General Assembly," said Endang Aminudin, the Head of Language Development and Guidance Agency or Language Agency of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) in Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/11/2023)."

Aminudin stated that after the designation, there are several obligations for Indonesia as stipulated by the UNESCO Constitution. For example, the translation of certain UNESCO documents into the Indonesian language. In addition, the provision of Indonesian language interpreters during the General Assembly with UNESCO standards.

"The Language Agency has already translated the UNESCO Constitution into Indonesian," said Aminudin.

The recognition of the Indonesian language as an official language at the UNESCO General Conference will have a positive impact on peace, harmony, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals not only at the national level, but also worldwide.

The proposal to designate Indonesian as one of the official languages of the UNESCO General Conference was unanimously approved on the UNESCO General Conference on November 20, 2023. The establishment of Indonesian as an official language of the UNESCO General Conference further enhances the position of the Indonesian language.

"To a certain extent, this international recognition is a confirmation that the Indonesian language is indeed worthy of being categorized as a language amidst the debate over Malay and Indonesian languages," said Aminudin.

Chairman of the National Commission of Indonesia for UNESCO (KNIU) Itje Chodiidjah stated that Indonesian language has become one of the official languages of the UNESCO General Conference. This means that Indonesian language can be used in addition to the official languages recognized by UNESCO during the biennial UNESCO General Conference.

Also read: Taking the Path to Indonesian Becoming an International Language

"It is important for us to maintain the sustainability of the Indonesian language so that it continues to exist as one of the official languages of the UNESCO General Conference. There are certain consequences that must be fulfilled, such as providing translators and translating documents into Indonesian. KNIU will certainly accompany and facilitate the Indonesian Government after the Indonesian language is approved as one of the official languages of the UNESCO General Conference," said Itje.

Initially, Indonesian language was declared as the language of unity during the Youth Pledge in 1928. Subsequently, Indonesian language was established as the national language in the 1945 Constitution. Now, Indonesian language has official status at the international level through recognition as an official language in the UNESCO General Conference.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ambassador to the Republic of France, the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco, and the Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCO Mohamad Oemar, as quoted from the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Indonesian had been successfully designated as an official language or official language < /i> UNESCO General Conference. This decision was marked by the adoption of Resolution 42 C/28 by consensus at the Plenary session of the 42nd UNESCO General Conference on 20 November 2023 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

Oemar opened the presentation of the Indonesian proposal by stating that the Indonesian language has been a unifying force for the nation since pre-independence times, particularly through the Youth Pledge in 1928. As a connector between various ethnicities in Indonesia, Indonesian language, with its over 275 million speakers, has also gone global, with the inclusion of Indonesian language curriculum in 52 countries around the globe, with at least 150,000 foreign speakers currently enrolled.

Active leadership of Indonesia on a global level began with the Asia Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955, which led to the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement. Indonesia has a strong commitment to continue its leadership and positive contribution to the international world by collaborating with other countries in addressing global challenges, through Indonesia's chairmanship in the G20 forum in 2022 and ASEAN in 2023," said Oemar.

Also read: Maintaining Indonesian

Furthermore, Oemar emphasized that the increased awareness of the Indonesian language is part of Indonesia's global efforts to develop interconnectivity between nations, strengthen cooperation with UNESCO, and a commitment to the development of culture at an international level.

"The recognition of Indonesian language as the official language of the UNESCO General Conference will have a positive impact on peace, harmony, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals not only at the national level, but also worldwide," said Oemar.

Towards an international language

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia has proposed Indonesian to become the official language at the UNESCO General Conference. This effort is one of the implementations of Article 44 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 24 of 2009 concerning Flags, Languages, State Symbols, and National Anthems, which states that "the government increases the function of Indonesian language to become an international language gradually, systematically, and sustainably."

This proposal is a de jure effort for Indonesian to receive official language status at an international institution after de facto the Indonesian government built pockets of foreign speakers of Indonesian in 52 countries.

Also read: Build a Roadmap for Indonesian to Become an International Language

Aminudin narrates that the initial process of proposing Indonesian language as the official language of the UNESCO General Conference began with discussions between the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to France and the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCO in January 2023 regarding the potential of Indonesian language to be the official language of the UNESCO General Conference. This potential was then conveyed to the Head of Language Development and Training Agency of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

KOMPAS/ESTER LINCE NAPITUPULU

Head of the Ministry of Education and Culture's Language Development and Development Agency, Endang Aminudin

In a short amount of time, a strategy was formulated to propose Indonesian as the official language of the UNESCO General Conference. On February 7th, 2023, the Head of Language Development and Guidance Agency met with the Deputy Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCO as well as the Director of Social Culture and International Organizations of Developing Countries in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Jakarta. The meeting discussed opportunities and strategies to promote Indonesian as an international language, particularly as the official language of the UNESCO General Conference.

At the meeting, it was agreed that the government will make an effort to propose Indonesian language as the language for the UNESCO General Conference. Afterwards, the necessary proposal documents were swiftly prepared within a very limited time frame.

Next, the procedure for proposing to UNESCO is carried out according to the applicable flow. On March 29, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Directorate of Social Culture and OINB sent a letter to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCO in Paris in order to convey the nomination proposal for Indonesian language as the official language of the UNESCO General Assembly. This proposal is then submitted by RI representative in Paris to the UNESCO Secretariat to be included in the agenda of the UNESCO Executive Board meeting in May 2023.

Also read: Indonesian is still respected

From 10-24 May 2023, the UNESCO Executive Council will hold a session that will discuss, among other things, the Indonesian Government's proposal to make Indonesian the official language of the UNESCO General Conference. During the session, the Executive Council agreed to include the Indonesian Government's proposal in the 42nd Session of the General Conference, which is planned for November 7-22, 2023.

On November 8, 2023, a delegation from Indonesia consisting of the Head of Language Development and Guidance Agency from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, E Aminudin Aziz; Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCO, Ismunandar; and the Head of Language Strengthening and Empowerment Center, Iwa Lukmana presented a proposal for Indonesian as the official language of the UNESCO General Assembly before the Legal Committee of UNESCO at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

"There was about 24 minutes of our presentation at the Legal Commission," said Aminudin.

IRMA TAMBUNAN

Indonesian language learning with Pancasila theme is conducted in the 1st grade of SDN 77/X in Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency, Jambi, on Friday (21/10/2022). Retno Wiryastuti guides her students to recognize letters and words. She often uses local language to help students better understand the lesson.

The Legal Committee meeting finally approved the Indonesian Government's proposal without any objections from committee members. The Legal Committee meeting results will be presented for plenary session on November 21 or 22, 2023.

On November 20, 2023, the UNESCO plenary session decided to accept the proposal by the Indonesian government to make Indonesian the official language of the UNESCO General Conference. Therefore, Indonesian becomes the 10th official language at the UNESCO General Conference.