International Mother Language Day was marked at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, with a call for promoting linguistic diversity and advancing inclusive multilingual education across the world.

During the event, UN experts and policymakers emphasised that mother tongue education is central to promoting sustainable development, social inclusion, and equitable access to learning.

Speaking at the event, Aboubakir Diaw, Chief of Staff representing the Executive Secretary of UNECA, said languages carry far deeper significance than mere communication.

“Languages are not merely tools of communication. They shape cognition, structure belonging, and transmit collective memory across generations,” he stated.

Diaw described Africa’s more than 2,000 languages as strategic assets rather than sources of division. He stressed that multilingual education rooted in mother tongues strengthens human capital and social cohesion.

“Multilingual education, grounded in mother tongues, is therefore not a cultural luxury. It is a strategic investment in human capital,” he said.

He also cautioned that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and digital platforms poses risks for languages lacking digital representation.

“In the age of artificial intelligence, languages absent from digital representation risk economic and cultural obsolescence,” Diaw warned.

With nearly 60 percent of Africa’s population under the age of 25, he highlighted the importance of empowering youth through inclusive language policies, linking the issue to continental initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Rita Bissoomath, Liaison Director at UNESCO, echoed this view, describing languages as “the living guardians of our identity, the vessels of our culture.”

She noted global disparities in access to education in familiar languages, citing that 40 percent of the world’s population does not receive instruction in a language they fully understand—a gap that deepens inequality and marginalization.

“Promoting multilingualism is a key instrument for fostering peace, tolerance, and mutual respect,” Bissoomath said, calling languages irreplaceable human treasures.

She urged governments and institutions to take concrete actions in integrating mother tongues with educational systems, ensuring no child would feel alienated from their linguistic heritage.