Press release
Building an ecosystem that reflects the multicultural richness of the country, key to preserving native languages in Mexico
Since May 2020 UNESCO has worked with more than 70 experts in indigenous media to support and strengthen Indigenous and Community Media
Mexico city Friday July 16 During the 13 Bienal Internacional de la Radio Linguistic diversity community media and sustainable growth celebrated from July 1216 in the forum Media facing the first decade of indigenous languages and 2030 agenda Gabriela Velázquez focal point for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages recognized the urgency to build a communication ecosystem that is inclusive plural and diverse that also reflects the multicultural richness of the country and promotes the use and preservation of indigenous languages
According several national and international instruments such as the Mexican Linguistic Rights General Law and the Mexican Constitution the Human Rights Bill for Indigenous People Rights and the Los Pinos Declaration Chapultepec 2020 media must reflect the different realities in Mexico as well as the linguistic and cultural diversity in order to promote equality and social inclusion as a way to prevent the disappearance of 68 indigenous languages that are currently spoken in Mexico from which at least 60 are at risk of disappearing such as Kiliwa from Baja California or Awakateko from Campeche Globally 43 of the 7 thousand languages around the world are at risk of disappearing
A special chapter of this ecosystem is comprised by the Indigenous and Community Media MIC that needs to be strengthened with new regulatory guidelines that ensure their operation and sustainability to ensure they operate as instruments to ensure freedom of expression access to information justice and education rights for indigenous languages speakers but also Cultural and Creative Industries ICC that protect the cultural legacies and create jobs and development in a sustainable form
In this manner Gabriela Velázquez highlighted that the work that has been carried out through the project Public policies designs to support the Indigenous and Community Media in Mexico and incorporate indigenous content in public and commercial media has the objective of building a legal and social environment that guarantees the existence of community and indigenous media and a plural and diverse media ecosystem in the country
Velázquez indicated that in order to improve the MIC conditions in Mexico we need to encourage the production of content in indigenous languages to guarantee the connectivity and infrastructure for this media strengthen their capabilities and digital abilities build an equitable social communication and official advertisement system as well as actions that guarantee safety for the indigenous and community communication agents
The project Design of public policies to support the Indigenous and Community media in Mexico is in progress since May 2020 with the involvement of a National Team comprised by more than 70 representatives of indigenous media community and public social organizations academics and government entities The result of these works will be a public political document that will be son delivered to the Mexico Presidential Office It is a guide document to implement the actions that the National team has recognized as necessary and urgent so that a media and inclusive environment can be built that contributes to the sustainable development
At the end of this event Velázquez pointed out that great part of the developments in this project funded by the European Union are available at a dedicated micro site People can review and download reports diagnostics on the projects progress as well as the campaigns and sessions of different forums that have been held since 2020 This micro site is a public compilation that allows access to knowledge to strengthen MICs and helps build a new media ecosystem that reflect the multicultural richness of the country as well to contribute and preserve the indigenous languages in Mexico
During the lecture Media facing the tenth anniversary of the indigenous languages and 2030 agenda there were also comments from Rosario Lufrano Argentina Radio and Television Chairman Sandra Ceballos Argentina Indigenous Female Lawyers Association Chairman Dora Brausin Pulido assistant manager at the Colombia National Radio and Tomás López Sarabia Council chairman of the Centro Profesional Índígena de Asesoría Defensa y Traducción AC The discussion was moderated by Pita Cortés Radio Educatiòn producer
Contact with media
Gabriela Velázquezgvelazquezalvarezunescoorg
