TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia, was declared as an official language of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference on Monday, November 20, 2023, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.

Mohamad Oemar, Indonesian Ambassador to France, Andorra, and Monaco, said in his statement in Jakarta that the Indonesian language was the 10th official language to be recognized by the UNESCO General Conference, alongside English, Arabic, Mandarin, French, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Italian, and Portuguese languages.

“The Indonesian language has been a unifying force for the nation since the pre-independence era, especially through the 1928 Youth Pledge, which unites diverse ethnicities in Indonesia,” Oemar said.

This decision was marked by the adoption of Resolution 42 C/28 during the 42nd UNESCO General Conference on November 20, at its Paris HQ.

According to Oemar, Indonesia's official language with more than 275 million speakers has been included in the school curriculum in 52 countries, and there are at least 150,000 foreign speakers who actively use the language at present.

“Indonesia's active leadership at the global level began at the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955, which laid the foundation for the formation of the non-aligned movement. Indonesia has a strong commitment to continue its leadership and positive contribution to the international world,” Oemar remarked.

This contribution, he went on, was marked by cooperation with other countries in addressing global challenges, through Indonesia's chairmanship role in the G20 forum in 2022 and the ASEAN forums in 2023.

The ambassador also emphasized that raising awareness of the Indonesian language is part of Indonesia's global efforts to develop connectivity among nations and strengthen cooperation with UNESCO, as well as the country's commitment to cultural development at the international level.

SUNU DYANTORO

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