Through mother-tongue-based multilingual education, societies can foster greater inclusion, preserve minority and indigenous languages, and support equitable access to education. International Mother Language Day, marked globally on 21 February, shines a spotlight on these goals.
"Home language is an asset rather than an obstacle to learning", with this concept in mind, schools across Europe often mark the day with activities such as multilingual storytelling, poetry recitations, and sharing traditions in pupils' home languages, with students' linguistic backgrounds viewed as assets, promoting well-being, intercultural dialogue, and academic success.
Promoting language rights and inclusion
International Mother Language Day shares its spirit with the European Day of Languages (EDL), celebrated by the Council of Europe every year on 26 September. Both days champion linguistic diversity and intercultural understanding, and EDL places special emphasis on encouraging Europeans to learn languages throughout their lives. This celebration, coordinated by the Council of Europe since 2001, highlights the value of plurilingualism as a means of building social cohesion and fostering mutual respect amongst the continent's peoples.
Protecting linguistic and minority rights
The efficient functioning of democracies depends on social inclusion and societal integration, and these in turn depend on an understanding of, respect for and engagement with linguistic and cultural diversity. The Council of Europe advocates plurilingual and intercultural education as a means of achieving these goals.
The international day is fully in line with the Council of Europe's longstanding work to protect and promote language rights and diversity:
- European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: This landmark treaty seeks to safeguard traditional regional or minority languages, ensuring their use in education, media, public life, and culture.
- Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities: This instrument guarantees the rights of minorities, including language rights, as part of the Council's wider human rights mandate.
Through monitoring, guidance, and support for member states, the Council of Europe helps communities across the continent preserve their linguistic heritage, enrich pluralism, and make space for all voices, including those of migrants and national minorities.
Voices for the future: focus 2026
The theme for International Mother Language Day 2026, "Youth voices on multilingual education" reflects a growing understanding that young people are at the heart of multilingualism. The Council of Europe's youth programmes echo this message: young people are invited to take an active role in shaping education systems that recognise and value every learner's unique language repertoire. Their advocacy is vital in keeping languages alive across generations and communities.
Resources and Activities
The Council of Europe offers schools and education policymakers resources for plurilingual and intercultural education, and advice on embedding language diversity and plurilingual competence into curricula, as well as resources aimed at supporting the linguistic and educational integration of children and adolescents from migrant backgrounds, which can also be used to enhance the educational experience of all learners.
The European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe is a unique institution whose mission is to encourage excellence and innovation in language teaching and to help Europeans learn languages more efficiently.
International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999 and later adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The day highlights the role of languages in promoting inclusion and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
European Day of Languages (EDL)
