UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION: THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY URGES THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO TAKE ACTION ON THE QUESTION OF THE LINGUISTIC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS, AMONG INDIVIDUALS, AND WITHIN INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

Rome-Geneva-New York, April 10, 1998. At the Commission on Human Rights, The Transnational Radical Party has raised the question of the linguistic communication among citizens, within international institutions, and regarding the relationship between individuals and institutions.

TRP stressed the political necessity of governing the question of communication in the globalization era:

"The UN system works with 6 languages, and it is not a mere technical or neutral choice. The European Parliament has 11 official languages that eventually, after the EU enlargement towards east, will become 20, the system will become soon ungovernable.

"The time has come to find other solutions that could preserve linguistic and cultural diversities, and that could favor the communication among individuals, the communication between international institutions, notably the UN, and the world community.

Radicals proposed, as a first step in this new direction, the use of a language of juridical reference, followed by efforts to promote and teach an international language for the whole world. Esperanto, the international language, has all the characteristics to fulfill this necessity.

"If the globalization will not find answers and political solutions to the fundamental question of the communication, during the next few years the hiatus between North and South will expand imperilling the whole idea of democracy.

Radical Party