The Human Rights Information Center (CIDO) asks to reform the Our Language Day into the Mother Languages Day. Also, it condemns the inaction of the state institutions in ensuring the right to the mother tongue and the inclusion of all the ethnic-linguistic groups that live in the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports.

According to the CIDO, the data of the general national census of 2004 show that the population of the Republic of Moldova speaks a number of mother languages, including the Moldovan/Romanian (75%), Russian (15%), Ukrainian (3%), Gagauz (3%), Bulgarian (1%) and other languages (0.34%). Thus, each fourth person declared as their mother tongue another language than the Moldovan/Romanian.

“We consider the opportunity of reforming the national holiday Our Language, which centers on activities that promote the Romanian language, towards an inclusive, multi-linguistic approach by renaming it the Mother Languages Day and the active involvement of all the ethnic-linguistic groups are a responsible step towards creating social cohesion and advancing interethnic dialogue,” said the CIDO members.

At international level, the Republic of Moldova signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 1992. The Charter is a convention designed to protect and promote regional and minority languages as a threatened aspect of Europe’s cultural heritage. It is based on the idea that the recognition and respect for cultural diversity can help to enhance integration, peace and stability. Moldova hasn’t yet ratified the Charter, ignoring thus the recommendations of the Council of Europe.

The Human Rights Information Center requests to immediately start the procedures needed to ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, to ensure the right to the mother tongue on the territory of Moldova and initiate public discussions on the opportunity of renaming the Our Language Day celebrated on August 31 as the Mother Languages Day.