International Year ofIndigenous Languages High-level Event ofthe General Assembly
1 February 2019 UN General Assembly Hall, New York, USA
Speaking notes to the GeneralAssembly byLisa Qlluqql Koperqualuk, Vice-Presldent, InultClrcumpolar Council (Canada) andExecutive CouncilMemberofthe Inult Clrcumpolar Council International on behalfoftheArctic Caucus
Dear Chair, members ofthe UN General Assembly, thankyou for inviting me here to this important event in connection with the International Year ofIndigenous Languages.
Our international organization, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, is the voice for over 160,000 Inuit inhabiting the circumpolar region in four countries, Alaska in the US, Chukotka in Russia, Canada, and Greenland, which is part ofDenmark.
We hold a General Assembly every four years, and our 2018 general assembly concluded with the adoption of the Utqiagvik Declaration, which includes a section on Education and Language, which states:
"Our languages are the foundation of our culture and identity. Legally protecting and revitalizing our languages is urgent and paramount. For our languages to remain strong, Inuit language schools and learning institutions need to be established...Effective education requires new pedagogies that reflect our values, culture and languages. For our language to remain strong the Inuit language must be the primary language of instruction in our schools. Language and education support our culture and Inuit hunting, gathering and food practices are a way in which our culture is taught. ICC supports that indigenous harvesting practice should sustain and enhance Inuit cultural practices."
Our language, Inuktut, is a vital and integral part of our cultural identity, this cultural identity is recognized within Indigenous rights; and as part of our Indigenous knowledge, culture and values. Speaking Inuktut is an expression of our worldview. It is a unique way of expressing ourselves, ofhow we relate to our kin and howwe relate to our Arctic environment. In Canada, Inuktut, is one ofthe healthiest Indigenous languages. In our Inuit homeland, Inuktut is spoken by 84 percent ofInuit report an ability to speak Inuktut. However, there is cause for concern as there has been a decline ofInuktut speakers yearly, to the point where Inuktut is endangeredin two ofthe four regions that make up our homeland. Even though the majority of our people speak Inuktut and it is recognized as an official language in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Inuit do not yet have access to federal services in our language. In the critical area of health services, for example, mistakes in communication have lead to tragic results. This is not simply unjust — it is also unacceptable. Any essential services must be able to provide culturally safe environments and services.
Education No minority language community, anywhere in the world, would be able to survive culturally without their children's schooling being in the language of the people. When ICC held an Inuit Education Summit last year, Inuit expressed that an educational institute dedicated to Inuktut and culturally relevant curriculum must be created. The education system is failing many of our youth. The examples of Inuit youth learning their own history, arts, and about self-determination often have a greater rate of educational success and they go on to contribute to their societies.
It is vital to support and fund Inuit educational initiatives in order to keep our language and cultural values.
Proposed Legislation on Indigenous Languages in Canada In this International Year of Indigenous Languages, the Government Of Canada has — appropriately, and to its credit — undertaken to pass a national Indigenous languages bill.
Inuit participation in and support for this legislative initiativehas been contingent on the expectation that any bill would be distinctions-based and include Inuktut-specific provisions that build on existing rights for Inuktut. We continue to engage with the Government ofCanada in an effort to ensure that the bill meets this expectation. The Inuit of Canada, are pushing hard for the Government of Canada to make the following critical change to its draft Indigenous Languages Bill: Recognize Inuktut as an original language of Canada, the original language of Inuit Nunangat,and the first language ofthe majority of Inuit Nunangat residents. Commit to the delivery of essential programs and services in Inuktut in Inuit Nunangat, and Provide resources for Inuktut that are sustainable, effective,and comparable in quality and accessibility to the services offered to other Canadians.
The International YearofIndigenous Languages is an opportunity to learn from these andotherpositive examples of whatis working, andfor governments and indigenous peoples totake action and remedy what is not. I lookforward to workingwith all of you in the year ahead.
Nakurmiik,Quyanaq, Merci, Thank you