JAKARTA - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established 10 official languages used in the 2025 General Assembly. One of them, Indonesian.
This recognition marks the wider role of Indonesian language in international forums, especially in the realm of cultural diplomacy and global education.
In addition, this decision is an important step in efforts to strengthen cross-cultural communication, increase access to information for member countries, and affirm UNESCO's commitment to the principles of language diversity in the world.
In international forums such as UNESCO, the use of various official languages does not only function as a means of communication in diplomacy and cooperation between countries, but also as a symbol of respect for the identity and cultural heritage of each nation.
Based on the Rules of Procedure of the General Conference UNESCO, there are two categories of languages used, namely official language (official language) and working language (working language).
Working languages are used in communication during debate sessions, simultaneous interpretations, and the preparation of daily documents during the trial.
Official language (official language) is used in communication on the translation of official documents such as constitutional amendments, resolutions, and reports of trial results.
10 official languages used at the UNESCO 2025 General Assembly
1. Arabic
2. Indonesian
3. Mandarin
4. English
5. French
6. Hindi language
7. Italian
8. Portuguese
9. Russian
10. Spanish
Meanwhile, working language at the UNESCO General Assembly remains in six languages, namely Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
In special circumstances, if delegates want to use non-work languages, they must provide an interpretation to one working language, and the UNESCO Secretariat will provide an interpretation to other working languages.
Indonesia is the official language of the 10th UNESCO
In the 42nd UNESCO General Session in Paris on November 20, 2023, the delegates consensusly approved the 42 C/28 resolution which designated Indonesian as UNESCO's 10th official language.
Previously, the government had submitted a proposal regarding the proposal for Indonesian to become the official language at the UNESCO session around March 29, 2023.
Indonesian will be used in various official documents and plenary sessions. Thus, the Indonesian people can access UNESCO's information, policies and decisions through language that is easier to understand.
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This success also marks a new history in the government's efforts to bring the Indonesian language to the global stage, as well as expand the use of the Indonesian national language in various international fields. So that the Indonesian language will be increasingly known and studied by the public from various other countries.
It is known that the 43rd UNESCO General Conference Session will be held on November 11, 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Then, it continued on November 24-25, 2025 at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
