This panel, organized by CIEMEN (Centre Internacional Escarré per a les Minories Ètniques i les Nacions) and the Amed Kurdish Institute, consists of two parts.
Coming 30 years after the Barcelona Declaration, which warned that over half of the world's languages face extinction without a binding international framework, the first part recognizes that safeguarding linguistic diversity is as essential for democratic pluralism as biodiversity is for nature. By addressing the absence of linguistic rights in Kurdistan, the panel aims to empower the Kurdish community and its culture, making language a central element of conflict transformation.
Furthermore, sharing the experiences of Catalonia offers practical solidarity and reinforces the forum's goal of socializing peace by ensuring the balanced participation of all languages in intercultural relations. This moves beyond a mere objective of justice to establish it as a fundamental condition for global cultural sustainability and non-violent coexistence. The panel aims to contribute to the establishment of a just and lasting peace by addressing one of the fundamental elements of the minoritization process of Kurdish culture—thus touching upon a significant dimension of the Kurdish issue. It is considered that sharing the Catalan experience from a comparative perspective in this context could provide a valuable contribution to the societal peace process.
In the second part, Arda Efe, Ronayi Onen, Dilawer Zaraq, and Nesrin Soydan from the Amed Kurdish Institute will present on topics such as "Law; Whose Language is Kurdish?", "Language Policy; Practice, Actors, Opportunities and Limitations," and "Decolonization of Knowledge and Information Through Languages." Following these presentations, they will prepare a report including discussions and evaluations with the participants. Through these programs, CIEMEN and the Amed Kurdish Institute aim to discuss methods and strategies for achieving language status and rights in a multifaceted way within the peace process. In this context, different experiences, knowledge, and practices will be shared. Through this panel, the goal is to discuss the role of different actors in the protection, development, and institutionalization of endangered languages. The aim of the panel discussion is for the results to become a fundamental roadmap for practical and policy recommendations to be used at regional and international levels. Language: Kurdish (Kurmanji) and English (with translation available between the two languages) Participation: Open to everyone, but especially encouraged for students studying in language departments, academics and researchers conducting language studies, and those working in Kurdish media.
Capacity: 50
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Participation is limited by quota.