UN Marks World Turkic Language Family Day
First-ever global observance highlights shared linguistic heritage of over 200 million Turkic speakers
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UNESCO will mark 15 December every year as World Turkic Language Family Day following a decision taken at its General Conference in Samarkand.
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The day recognises the shared linguistic and cultural heritage of Turkic-speaking peoples across Eurasia.
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The observance commemorates the 1893 deciphering of the Orkhon Inscriptions by Danish linguist Vilhelm Thomsen.
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More than 200 million people speak Turkic languages, including Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Uzbek
Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS, 15th December: UNESCO on Sunday announced that the world body will mark the first World Turkic Language Family Day on Monday, after a decision by UNESCO’s General Conference in Samarkand to establish 15 December as an annual observance.
The new commemoration highlighted the shared linguistic and cultural heritage of Turkic-speaking peoples and reinforces UNESCO’s wider commitment to multilingualism and cultural diversity.
The choice of 15 December is rooted in a landmark moment in linguistic scholarship, UNESCO stated.
UNESCO noted that in 1893, Danish linguist Vilhelm Thomsen announced he had deciphered the alphabet of the Orkhon Inscriptions some of the oldest known written records of the Turkic language family.
His breakthrough opened the door to a deeper understanding of a linguistic tradition that today connects dozens of communities across Eurasia.
Turkic languages – including Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Turkmen and Uzbek are spoken natively by more than 200 million people across an area stretched to 12 million square kilometres.
UNESCO noted that these languages carry a rich written heritage, strong oral traditions and diverse cultural practices shared across many Member States.
The proclamation of the new Day followed a joint request from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan and was supported by 21 Member States, reflected broad recognition of the value of linguistic diversity.
UNESCO said the annual observance aligns with the UN’s wider multilingualism agenda, set out in General Assembly resolution 71/328.
The agency aims to encourage linguistic cooperation, cultural exchange and dialogue among civilizations by dedicated a day to the Turkic language family.
The planned activities include awareness, raising initiatives, academic research and programmes to safeguard Turkic languages and oral traditions.
The day will be marked with exhibitions, lectures, literary events and artistic performances designed to showcase the historical depth and contemporary vitality of Turkic languages, UNESCO stated.
UNESCO said the commemoration is an opportunity to honor linguistic diversity as part of humanity’s common heritage and to strengthen international efforts to protect languages as essential vehicles of identity, knowledge and cultural expression.
