OI organized a roundtable about language rights
10/12/2024
Pristina, December 10th, 2024 – The Ombudsperson, in cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner for Languages and IOM Kosovo, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, organized the roundtable “Linguistic Rights: The Path to Fundamental Human Rights”, where linguistic rights as fundamental human rights were discussed.
At this meeting, the vital importance of linguistic rights in promoting inclusion, diversity and equality, as well as their impact on fundamental human rights, was discussed.
The Ombudsperson, Mr. Naim Qelaj, said that International Human Rights Day is an important day for every citizen in the world. He related the importance of linguistic equality as a special right of every person in the world.
Despite the progress that has been made in language law, the Ombudsperson stressed that the law on languages is not fully implemented and that it requires the commitment of the human factor, political and institutional will, and that each law must be accompanied by mechanisms to monitor their implementation.
The Commissioner for Languages, Mr. Slavisa Mladenovic, said that on this day, the fundamental principles of human rights should be remembered in order to achieve success in respecting the official languages in Kosovo. He added that equality on the ground should be ensured and access should be ensured for public institutions to be able to provide services in all official languages.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Ms. Caroline Ziadeh, said that on this day, citizens should reflect on the dignity and equality of human rights. She emphasized that dignity and equality are the pillars of human rights. She added that these rights shape our society and thus create partnership and we can understand others better.
The Head of Mission of IOM in Kosovo, Ms. Anna Rostocka, said that no matter where we come from or who we are, there is an environment in which our rights can be implemented in practice. She added that the learning of official languages is increasing, how young people want to learn other languages and this is a progress.
This activity is organized in coordination and support with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and is supported by the UNMIK – United Nations Mission in Kosovo, as well as the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNHCHR) . This meeting is part of the supporting initiative of the program activity entitled “Advancing and promoting linguistic rights – Phase 2”.