UNESCO and Unicode expand their partnership to strengthen Indigenous languages in digital spaces.
UNESCO and the Unicode Consortium announced a new phase of collaboration aimed at increasing the presence of Indigenous languages online. The agreement supports the objectives of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) and seeks to address barriers that limit the digital use of many Indigenous languages. Through this partnership, both organizations will work to improve digital inclusion and expand opportunities for communities to communicate and create content in their own languages.
Digital standards play a key role in language inclusion.
The collaboration recognizes the importance of technical standards for ensuring that languages can function across digital platforms and devices. Unicode’s work focuses on character encoding and language support, making it possible for diverse writing systems to be represented online. In addition, initiatives such as the Digitally Disadvantaged Languages Working Group and the CLDR Keyboards Working Group contribute to improving digital access for underrepresented and Indigenous languages.
The partnership supports broader efforts to preserve linguistic diversity.
The agreement forms part of UNESCO’s wider commitment to protecting and promoting Indigenous languages during the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. Both organizations emphasize that digital technologies can help communities maintain, revitalize, and transmit their languages to future generations. By strengthening language representation in digital environments, the partnership seeks to support linguistic diversity and increase participation in the digital world for speakers of Indigenous languages.
Reference
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2026, 16 June). UNESCO and Unicode strengthen collaboration for Indigenous languages online. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-and-unicode-strengthen-collaboration-indigenous-languages-online?hub=701