Topic: 2024-Indigenous Languages
Country: Egypt
Delegate Name: Rex Blakley
The issues in indigenous languages and the issues in cultures are one and the same, indigenous languages serve as a connection between generations in more ways than allowing for communication. Indigenous languages, such as the sixteen spoken languages in Egypt, are deeply connected to culture as seen by the groups of people who identify with each other based on their similarities in culture, religion, and language. While English and French are spoken by the more educated populace, along with most who interact with them, it cannot be denied that a large portion of the Egyptian population speaks what can be classified as an indigenous language. This is also true in other countries around the world and should be respected as a fact.
Egypt believes that indigenous languages should be preserved as best as possible. The United Nations (UN) has the influence to promote cooperation between departments of land preservation and the media to set aside lands for the people of those indigenous languages and culture to ensure their preservation. Which has been done in Egypt to successfully preserve the groups of people belonging to indigenous groups and the language of those groups. This allows for the culture and language to exist despite the world changing and creates an area where culture can be preserved.
There is a responsibility to preserve the cultures of the world, because they show the histories of a country, and the United Nations has the power to provide influence towards pushing policies to protect indigenous languages around the world.
“Preserving Egypt’s Natural and Cultural Heritage: Embracing Egypt’s Local Tribal Communities and Protected Areas.” 2023. United Nations Development Programme. https://www.undp.org/arab-states/stories/preserving-egypts-natural-and-cultural-heritage-embracing-egypts-local-tribal-communities-and-protected-areas.
