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The representatives of the United Nations Human Rights Council,

In response to the objectives proposed by the United Nations, insofar as 2008 was designated the International Year of Languages, and in order to obtain tangible results before the end of this period,

Considering that linguistic rights form part of human rights and therefore fall within the scope of the responsibilities of the United Nations Human Rights Council,

Bearing in mind the fact that human beings express their identities in different languages and that linguistic diversity is one of the most important cultural values of humanity,

Conscious of the challenges globalization presents for cultural and linguistic diversity,

Drawing on the purposes, terms and general provisions of the United Nations Charter and, in particular, on the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, especially article 2, which states that the rights and freedoms of everyone must be exercised without distinction or discrimination of any kind, including on linguistic grounds, and article 27, which recognizes the right of everyone to participate freely in the cultural life of the community.

Guided also by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, especially article 2, which stipulates that the rights enunciated in the Covenant must be exercised without distinction or discrimination of any kind, including on linguistic grounds, and article 15, which recognizes the right of everyone to take part in cultural life,

Evoking the recent adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on 13 September 2007, which recognizes the rights of these peoples to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their languages, rights extendable to all linguistic communities without exception,

Recalling the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted by the UNESCO General Assembly in Paris on 20 October 2005, which recognizes linguistic diversity as a fundamental part of cultural diversity and recommends measures be implemented for its protection and promotion,

Given, inter alia, the various declarations of the European Union and the declarations and conventions of the Council of Europe, such as the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of November 1950, which advocates recognition and respect for the different languages spoken within the scope of its responsibilities; the Charter of the Organization of African Unity of May 1963, which recognizes the vital need to allow African languages to develop freely; the American Convention on Human Rights adopted by the Organization of American States in November 1969, the Arab Charter on Human Rights adopted by the Arab League on September 1994, the Iberoamerican Cultural Charter adopted by the Organisation of Iberoamerican States in November 2006, and the Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations of November 2007, which set forth the need to respect linguistic differences in order to guarantee and reinforce union between peoples,

Remembering the Helsinki Accords of 1973-1975, which begin with the Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations between Participating States, the seventh principle of which refers to the commitment made by signatory states to respect human rights without discrimination on linguistic or other grounds,

Valuing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 8 September 2001 at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenofobia, and Related Intolerance, which condemns linguistic discrimination alongside other discriminatory practices,

Emphasizing the fact that, despite the numerous international declarations, conventions, charters and treaties that highlight, even juat by alluding to the principle of discrimination, the importance of respecting linguistic rights, maintaining and promoting linguistic diversity, no single UN declaration specifically defines linguistic rights in positive terms and sets forth which rights constitute linguistic rights,

Noting with interest the contributions made by civil society towards the recognition and development of linguistic rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, inter alia, approved in Barcelona in 1996 by legal experts and qualified linguists from around the world and adopted by parliaments,

1. Recognize that all languages are of equal value and deserve equal respect, insofar as each language is an expression of the identity of the speaker and of the speaker's community,

2. Assert that the more linguistic diversity is respected, the greater the likelihood of different human beings being able to co-exist harmoniously, and that respect for linguistic diversity can therefore contribute towards a constructive peace between peoples,

3. Urge states and international institutions to continue to develop policies which ensure that all languages are respected, promoted and used in society, in all domains that affect the life of the individual and the community,

4. Pledge to pursue these issues, as a specific contribution to the United Nations Human Rights Council, to ensure that linguistic rights are developed across the world, in accordance with the objectives noted above in this International Year of Languages, bearing in mind the considerations, concerns, claims, studies and initiatives mentioned above and others that are analogous,

5. Call for the UN to approve, in the short term (or within two years), with the help and support of this Council, a Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, as a necessary complement to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,