REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNIVERSALA ESPERANTO-ASOCIO AT UNESCO

ABSTRACT: Document on Esperanto prepared for the 36th Congress of the Radical Party (Rome, Hotel Ergife, 30 April - 3 may)

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Résumé

The position of Esperanto at UNESCO is based on two texts:

1) the resolution of the General Conference at Montevideo in 1954 (1);

2) the Sofia resolution in 1985 (2).

Both are very favourable to Esperanto, but do not have any concrete implications for UNESCO itself. The best period for Esperanto at UNESCO came about thanks to the personal support of the former Director General, Amadou Matah m'Bow (1977-1986).

This is not such a good time because UNESCO is facing a serious financial crisis and generally speaking the policy of non-governmental organizations including UEA has weakened.

Our plans for the next two years are as follows:

1) to obtain funding for the building of the Zamenhof Centre in Byalistok (Poland); This project is included in the list of UNESCO projects for the Decade of Cultural Development.

2) to obtain funding for a literacy project in Togo, to be organized by the TEJO (the youth organization of the UEA N.d.t.) in 1993.

It is also worth mentioning a completely new initiative of the Association ( or rather of its eminent member Mark Fettes) regarding the Monda Kunagado (World Cooperation) in the field of UNESCO's activity.

This is a UNESCO Esperantist association that intends, by means of local, national activity, not only to complete the collaboration between the UEA and UNESCO, but also to launch a new initiative aimed at bringing people of different cultures closer together. In my opinion this is the most promising UNESCO idea for the next few years.

NOTES

1) RESOLUTION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF UNESCO 8C/DR/116, approved in Montevideo on 10 December 1954

The General Conference,

after having discussed the Director General's Report on the International Petition in favour of Esperanto,

(1) notes the results obtaineded by Esperanto in the field of international intellectual exchanges and as regards bringing the peoples of the world closer together;

(2) recognizes that these results correspond to the goals and ideals of UNESCO;

(3) authorizes the Director General to follow the development of the use of Esperanto in science, education and culture and to collaborate to this end with the Universal Esperanto Association (UEA) in matters concerning both organizations;

(4) notes the fact that several Member States have declared they are willing to introduce and expand the teaching of Esperanto in their primary and secondary schools and invites these Member States to keep the Director General informed of the results obtained in this field.

2) UNESCO RESOLUTION XI.4.4.218

Celebration of the Centenary of Esperanto

Approved by the General Conference of UNESCO 8.11.1985.

The General Conference,

considering that, in the 1954 session held in Montevideo, noted in its resolution IV.1.4.422-4224 the results obtained by the international language Esperanto in the field of international intellectual exchanges and the mutual understanding between the peoples of the world, and recognized that these results correspond to the goals and ideals of UNESCO,

remembering that Esperanto has in the meantime made great progress as a means of understanding between the peoples and cultures of different countries, by penetrating most of the regions of the world and most of human activity,

recognizing the great possibilities offered by Esperanto for international understanding and communication between peoples of different nationalities,

noting the extremely important contribution of the Esperantist movement, and especially of the Universala Esperanto-Asocio, to the spread of information on the activity of UNESCO, and to that activity,

aware of the fact that the centenary of Esperanto will be celebrated in 1987,

1. Congratulates the Esperantist movement on the occasion of its centenary;

2. Asks the Director General to constantly follow with attention the development of Esperanto as means of improving the understanding between different nations and cultures;

3. Invites the Member States to give importance to the centenary of Esperanto through special events, declarations, issues of stamps and so on, and to promote the introduction of a study programme on language problems and Esperanto in schools and institutes of higher education,

4. Urges the non-governmental international organizations to participate in the celebration of the centenary of Esperanto and study the possibility of using Esperanto as a means of spreading information among its members, including information on the activity of UNESCO.