Multilingualism, digital approaches and girls’ education in focus at event to mark 25 years of The Hague Recommendations

THE HAGUE, 7 June 2021 — Different approaches to support the integration of diverse societies through multilingual and multicultural education were in focus at an online conference held today to mark the 25th anniversary of The Hague Recommendations regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities.

The Hague Recommendations outline general principles that states can keep in mind when designing a balanced education system that enables national minority students to achieve proficiency in their mother tongue while also learning the state language. The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov explained that “a balanced education system supports the rights of persons belonging to national minorities to express their cultural identity and participate in the political, social and economic life of their country.”

The Hague Recommendations are also part of the High Commissioner’s work to promote the integration of diverse societies as a key pillar of conflict prevention. “It is a two-way process that requires fairness and equal participation by both majority and minorities in a society. And by ‘fairness’ we mean supporting minorities’ use of their languages through education and as a part of expressing their culture and identity,” he said.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ann Linde said: “The Hague Recommendations are important for the participating States to safeguard equitable and inclusive education of good quality for all, including persons belonging to national minorities. This is also equally valid for the importance and role of education in conflict-, post-conflict and humanitarian crisis settings”.

During the conference, participants also discussed the disproportionate effect of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the education of national minorities, especially girls. They gave examples of how harnessing the potential of the digital age can help address the impact of the pandemic on national minority youth to maintain and enhance the equalizing role of education. They also shared their experiences with using digital tools to support quality education in a diverse society.

The conference was attended by high-level representatives of education authorities in OSCE participating States, of the OSCE and other international organizations, and experts working in the field of multilingual and multicultural education. A recording of the event is available on the HCNM’s YouTube channel.