Topic: 2024-Indigenous Languages
Country: Iran
Delegate Name: Abby
Topic: Indigenous Languages
Country: Iran
Delegate Name: Abby Klein
The protection of indigenous languages is a crucial aspect of today’s society, particularly as minority voices are increasingly silenced, often by Western nations. This issue is not new, colonialism and globalization have systematically eradicated the use of indigenous languages through assimilation policies, discriminatory laws, and land dispossession for centuries. Indigenous languages are vital for preserving the culture, history, and identity of nations. Efforts to address this issue must prioritize empowering communities to restore and sustain their own linguistic heritage.
The Islamic Republic of Iran balances support for its national language, Persian, while protecting its indigenous languages. Persian serves as a unifying factor, strengthening national identity and ensuring equal access to education and economic opportunities. While about 65 indigenous languages are spoken in Iran, their use is primarily encouraged in cultural contexts such as festivals and oral traditions, as excessive emphasis on regional languages could undermine national cohesion. Article 15 of the Constitution supports the teaching of regional languages, and progress has been made in recent years. In 2013, President Hassan Rouhani pledged to allow the teaching of indigenous languages in schools and universities, a goal achieved by 2016 when Kurdish and Azeri began being taught in regions where they are widely spoken. This initiative, driven by government orders and expanded through new infrastructure, has developed at Iran’s own pace without external pressure.
The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that this progress would not have been made if it had been coerced to do so by a different governing body. This is why Iran is wary of changes made by SOCHUM. New legislation passed is likely to infringe on individual countries’ sovereignty and force Western ideals onto countries that possess different cultures. Iran hopes to focus on providing resources to aid in integrating indigenous languages into education. Additionally, Iran would support resolutions that provide resources to assist formerly colonized states, particularly those whose indigenous languages were suppressed, in moving towards equitable development aligning with non-colonized nations.
