KHALEEJ TIMES, Monday, Dec 20, 2021 | Jumada Al-Uola 15, 1443
Sheikh Mohammed signs UAE Declaration on Arabic language
Emirates:
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and
Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the UAE
Declaration of Arabic Language in the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai Sunday.
The declaration was introduced in the presence of the Arab ministers of culture
to mark the World Arabic Language Day, and in parallel with 22nd session of the
Conference of Ministers Responsible for Cultural Affairs in the Arab World.
Sheikh Mohammed tweeted: "Today, I attended the Arabic Language Summit,
organised by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth, at Expo 2020 Dubai,
accompanied by the Secretary General of the Arab League and Arab ministers of
culture. The Arabic language is a language of beauty, culture, and civilisation
and one summit is certainly not enough”.
“We signed the UAE Declaration on the Arabic Language. It is our declaration to
commit to working together to enhance the status of the language that represents
our identity, culture, and science," he added.
The declaration was launched in the presence of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minster of
Finance.
The event was also attended by Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs;
Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth; and Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister
of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020.
The Declaration was signed by Sheikh Mohammed along with Ahmed Abul Gheit,
Secretary General of the Arab League, Mohamed Ould Amar, Director General of the
Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO), and Al
Kaabi, and Chair of the 22nd session of the Conference of Ministers Responsible
for Cultural Affairs in the Arab World. The declaration aims to draw out a
unified roadmap for various institutions in Arab countries.
Al Kaabi gave a presentation to Sheikh Mohammed about the UAE Arabic Language
Declaration and the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Youth to preserve
Arabic and enhance its presence internationally.
Al Kaabi said: "The first edition of the report on the Status and Future of the
Arabic Language revealed the need for greater cooperation and better
coordination between Arab nations through proper language planning and joint
Arab action. Today we are taking an important step in that direction to
implement the recommendations of the report by launching the UAE Arabic Language
Declaration, which represents a comprehensive roadmap covering all areas related
to the Arabic language."
She added: "The UAE Arabic Language Declaration is a reference for officials in
Arab countries to launch initiatives and projects that preserve the Arabic
language, enhance its presence globally and encourage its use among future
generations. It also promotes the use of Arabic in the digital space, and
associated industries while encouraging the use of technology in education and
the spread of the Arabic language.”
Last year, the Ministry of Culture and Youth launched a study into the status
and future of the Arabic language to compile a report with the participation of
15 media organisations, 10 language universities and 18 universities around the
world; 65 educational institutions from around the world contributed to the
report.
The UAE Arabic Declaration entails 10 principles:
1. The Arabic language is intrinsic to our Arab identity. It links us to our
history and heritage and reflects the richness and diversity of our society.
Standard Arabic and its dialects interact in a unique way, which is a highlight
of our civilization, culture, literature and arts. The language is a means of
communication and understanding between our people, an expression of the
aspirations and dreams of our youth, a voice of their feelings, and a pillar of
prosperity of our society and our economy.
2. The second principle is about the teaching and learning of the Arabic
language. Develop new methodologies of teaching and learning the language in
schools and treat it as a building block for our society and economy. Work with
specialised research centres to introduce modern curricula based on
international best practices. Develop programmes for Arabic language teachers to
enhance their skills to teach the language in a scientific way that facilitates
its learning and makes it relatable and relevant to new generations.
3. The third principle covers Arabic content. The Declaration emphasised the
importance of improving the quality of Arabic content on the Internet as it has
huge impact on the development of society. Investing in digital publishing
institutions, adopting sustainable and viable business models in collaboration
with governments and knowledge institutions and providing Arab users with useful
and reliable content that helps them in their lives and work.
4. The fourth principle is Arabic language technology. The future requires a
digital infrastructure that incorporates the use of Arabic in technology
application. This will be achieved by cooperation between research centres and
companies and by investing in artificial intelligence, natural language
processing, machine learning models and linguistic thesaurus to build a
comprehensive linguistic system that covers all aspects of this diverse
language.
5. The fifth principle is about the Industries related to the Arabic language.
Education, media and publishing are key partners of policy makers and economists
in promoting the use of the Arabic language. There is a need to introduce
developmental grants and build a sophisticated investment framework where
intellectual property rights are applied to counter piracy and encourage the
role of private institutions in business development, distribution and marketing
of these models.
6. The sixth principle deals with the translation services. Translation has a
key role in the transfer, localisation and distribution of knowledge and
intercultural communication. It enriches the Arabic language with new
expressions, compositions and terms influencing society, economy, education and
the media. The development and investment in translation services for Arabic are
necessary to enhance its contribution to knowledge on a global level.
7. The seventh principle deals with Arabic and science. The language that was in
the past an incubator for research and discovery in its societies, today needs
to make modern knowledge available in Arabic in order to forge a bright future
for the next generation. Invest in the translation of science and research
papers to make them available for our researchers and scientists and translate
their work in other languages for the scientific networks to access it in other
languages.
8. The eighth principle is Arabic as a global language. Arabic is one of the
most widely used languages in the world and a major language of communication
and a pillar of our cultural identity. It should be reinforced as a vehicle for
cultural exchange, thought and knowledge by building global partnerships with
academic institutions and cultural centres and supporting their education
efforts globally.
9. The ninth principle is national references and policies. Arab societies need
sound linguistic planning, to be drawn by governments and community
institutions, to be translated into linguistic policies in the fields of
education, media, and public discourse as well as industries related to the
Arabic language. Cooperation between research entities in various countries to
gauge its progress as per their standards.
10. The tenth and final principle is devoted to the declaration on the future of
the Arabic language because Arabic is a language of the grandparents and
children, which is bound to develop and change like any other living language.
It is the language of religion and heritage, just as it is the language used by
millions as a means of communication, a language of economy, art and science. We
build on its past as we shape its future with confidence and faith. The aim is
to establish modern approaches to counter the challenges and seize the
opportunities that the language faces today.