U.N. General Assembly and Protection of Indigenous Language Rights: The Can-Go-Afar Foundation

It is with great honour that I write to update you that our Can-Go Afar Foundation supported and appeared at a conference being held in New York City today taking place during the U.N. General Assembly regarding the protection of Indigenous language rights.

With the loss of language is the loss of identity. We have seen that happen to our Afar People.

On 18 December 2019 the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution to protect Indigenous rights the world over. In that same resolution, the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. There are an estimated 6,700 world languages, of which an estimated 2,700 (40%) are indigenous. All of these are in decline, are threatened, and are at risk of disappearing.

Our Foundation has enjoyed special status with the U.N. during the last 12 years. This is the first time that we have been called upon and invited to participate. 142 Heads of State will be attending the U.N. General Assembly, being held just across the street from our presentation at the U.N. Plaza.

The following are attached:

1. The Resolution adopted and ratified by the U.N. General Assembly, proclaiming the 10 year period of indigenous language rights, both programming and protection; and

2. The poster/flyer about our session, which includes a link to the live-stream broadcast. For those who could not join the live broadcast, I will provide a link when it is available.

Now more than ever we need to deliver humanitarian aid to help the plight of the Afar People, who have suffered from the war which has raged in Ethiopia, drought, and a refugee crisis that continues to spill from Eritrea. If you would like to donate, please see the following link: Donate – Can-Go Afar Foundation (cangoafar.ca)