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FEATURES @Linguist_CIOL APRIL/MAY The Linguist 19 be a very important means of encouraging international cooperation and raising awareness on a specific subject. The IYIL initiative aims to promote further coordination between multiple stakeholders for the preservation, promotion and revitalisation of indigenous languages. Through these joint efforts, indigenous languages will be promoted as strategic national, regional and international assets contributing to sustainable development, good governance, peacebuilding and reconciliation. This is crucial in order to foster positive perceptions of indigenous language users and respect for their rights. Building on its mandate, experience and leadership in promoting linguistic diversity around the world, Unesco ran consultations with a range of stakeholders to define the major objectives, areas of intervention and action to be taken during the IYIL. PLAN OF ACTION The outcome of this consultative process was an action plan 1 that provides a solid basis for coordinated and joint action. This was embraced by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in April 2018, and a Steering Committee was established to provide guidance on its organisation. It includes representatives of UN member states, UN-system organisations, indigenous peoples and institutions from all sociocultural regions. Among the key principles on which the action plan is based are the centrality of indigenous people as the main target audience and beneficiaries of the IYIL ("Nothing for us without us"), and the principle of multi-stakeholder partnership at all levels. All stakeholders are encouraged to take concrete steps that will lead to improved quality of life, enhanced international cooperation and strengthened intercultural dialogue. In this way sustainable measures can be taken at every level to support, access and promote indigenous languages around the world in accordance with the rights of indigenous peoples. Support, access and promotion are the three thematic areas around which the activities for 2019 are structured, and they are encompassed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Priority will be given to preservation and revitalisation of indigenous languages through measures that guarantee more materials and a wider range of services, using information, communication and language technologies to improve the everyday use of indigenous languages. Important efforts will be made to increase access to education, information and knowledge in and about indigenous languages for indigenous children, young people and adults; and to improve data collection and the sharing of information in and about these languages. IYIL activities aim to mainstream the knowledge areas and values of indigenous peoples and cultures within broader sociocultural, economic and political domains, including cultural practices such as traditional sports and games. BEYOND 2019 The International Year will lay the foundation for a long- term path towards the effective revitalisation of indigenous languages and improvement in the lives of indigenous peoples, by strengthening the capacities of the language users and of indigenous peoples' organisations. It will also mobilise other stakeholders to take appropriate actions in support of indigenous languages and the goals of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. The hope is that UN member states, indigenous peoples, civil society, academia, public institutions and the private sector, as well as other stakeholders, will make concrete commitments to support, provide access to and promote indigenous languages, including financial support for related activities. Visit en.iyil2019.org for more information, to get involved or to become an IYIL partner. Notes 1 Available in six UN languages via www.un.org/en/ga/ search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/C.19/2018/8 CONVERSATION STARTERS The inaugural IYIL event included speeches from indigenous people from various parts of the world, and representatives of all ages IMAGES © UNESCO/C.ALIX