Universala Esperanto-Asocio

en konsultaj rilatoj kun UN kaj Unesko Centra Oficejo: Nieuwe Binnenweg 176, 3015 BJ Rotterdam, Nederlando Telefono +3110 436 10 44 / 436 15 39 Telefakso +3110 436 17 51

Mr. Olivier Dupuis

Secretary-General, Transnational Radical Party Member, European Parliament 97/113, rue Belliard

B-1947 Brussels

Cc.

Mr Marino Busdachin

Director, UN Office

Transnational Radical Party

866 U.N. Plaza, Suite #408

New York, NY 10017

21 May, 1996

Dear Mr Dupuis,

We are pleased to learn from your colleague Mr. Busdachin of the Transnational Radical Party's plans to send a four-person delegation to the World Esperanto Congress in Prague, July 20-27. We welcome this opportunity for a more detailed and personal exchange of views, directed toward building a constructive and fruitful collaboration on matters of common interest.

Naturally, this visit is all the more welcome in that it will enable your participation in the Nitobe Symposium of International Organizations. I believe that your delegation will find this a very useful experience, since it will include both orientation sessions for those unfamiliar with Esperanto and the World Congress, and detailed presentations and debate on issues of international language policy.

Rather than a presentation in the main body of the Symposium, we foresee a role for the Radical Party in the discussions and particularly in the concluding session, where we shall be working on a joint set of recommendations on the principles which should guide the language policy of international organizations. It appears likely that these will take two forms: general recommendations on linguistic rights and responsibiilities, and more specific recommendations concerning Esperanto. Since the Radical Party has gone further than most non-governmental organizations in developing its own principles in these areas, your ideas might serve as a starting point which can be further developed and refined in the course of our discussions. In this regard, it would be helpful if you could provide us with copies of the Radical Party's platform on language rights in English, French, Esperanto and any other languages in which it is available. We will ensure that this is distributed to all participants, either prior to the

Symposium or on arrival in Prague.

In recognition of your expected contribution, we shall be pleased to cover the costs of your delegation's registration for the Congress and its participation in all Symposium-relatedactivities, including the Congress banquet on Monday evening and other receptions on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. Hotel reservations can be made through our Rotterdam office if desired (there is a designated hotel for Symposium participants). In any case we require the names and addresses of the members of the delegation in order to register them as participants and provide them with materials relating to the Congress and Symposium. Please send these details to Rotterdam as soon as convenient.

Further details on the Symposium will be forthcoming shortly. In anticipation of meeting you in Prague, with best wishes.

Mark Fettes

Secretary-General

Nitobe Symposium of International Organizations

on "Language for International Peace and Democracy"

21-23 July 1996, Prague, Czech Republic

Introduction

In August 1921, the Under-Secretary-General of the League of Nations, Dr. Inazô Nitobe, took part in the 13th World Esperanto Congress in Prague as an official observer. (The Congress was '-attended by 2,561 delegates from 40 countries.) Dr. Nitobe's subsequent report to the League, entitled The Language Question and the League of Nations, presented an objective analysis of the language situation at that time, and compared the linguistic policies and practices of the League with those he observed in the Esperanto community. As a medium of efficient, high-quality communication between people from many countries and all walks of life, he concluded, "Esperanto is thus becoming an engine of international democracy."

Seventy-five years after this first serious examination of Esperanto by an international body, the World Esperanto Congress returns to Prague, providing an ideal opportunity to reexamine the themes pioneered by Nitobe. The Universal Esperanto Association will host a three-day symposium during the first days of the Congress, allowing participants to observe Esperanto in action in a multinational setting, as Dr. Nitobe did, and to debate its relevance to international policy-making. Impartial experts in the fields of linguistic rights, linguistic policy and language teaching will provide commentaries.

Objectives

* To review the present language policies of international organizations, with respect to linguistic rights, democratic participation, educational impact, and communicative efficiency, including the experience of organizations using Esperanto;

* To identify the pressures and challenges currently confronting these organizations in the domain of language policy, and debate the policy alternatives open to them;

* To develop recommendations regarding the language policies of international organizations and the improvement of international communication.

Participants

* Representatives of intergovernmental organizations including the United Nations, Unesco, and the European Union;

* Representatives of international non-governmental organizations;

* Internationally known scholars in the fields of linguistic rights, linguistic policy and language teaching;

* Representatives of the Universal Esperanto Association and its affiliated organizations.

Program

July 20 (Saturday)

19h00-22h00 Welcome and orientation session (one hour) followed by informal reception

July 21 (Sunday)

10h00-12h00 Opening Ceremony (in conjunction with the opening ceremony of the 8lst World Esperanto Congress)

14h00-17h00 Informal "guided tours" of the Congress for symposium participants

July 22 (Monday)

09h30-12h00 Session I: Language policies and linguistic rights

1. Language policies and linguistic rights in the UN system by UN representative

2. Linguistic rights and a neutral second language by UEA representative

3. Commentary by 2 experts

4. Discussion

14h00-l6h30 Session H. Linguistic diversity and democracy

1. Linguistic diversity and language policies in the European Union by EU representative

2. Linguistic democracy in the Esperanto community by UEA representative

3. Commentary by 2 experts

4. Discussion

July 23 (Tuesday)

09h30-12h00 Session HI. Language education for peace

1. Language teaching for world peace and international understanding by Unesco representative

2. Esperanto as an introduction to language learning and global issues by UEA representative

3. Commentary by 2 experts

4. Discussion

14h00-16h30 Session IV. NG0s and international communication'1. Language problems of NG0s, the experience of Esperanto, and the search for solutions (Humphrey Tonkin)

2. Sharing of experiences by NG0s

3. Discussion

19h00-21h00 Adoption of the symposium recommendations.