BackThe headquarters of the Catalan Ombudsman hosted the constituent assembly of the International Association of Language Commissioners (IALC), a lead organization that aims to defend language rights around the world and which is chaired by Graham Fraser, who is also the Federal Language Commissioner of Canada.
The IALC gathered in Barcelona representatives of the institutions that are part of it, from Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Kosovo, Finland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Wales and Catalonia.
With this event, the Catalan Ombudsman and the IALC have put an end to the International Symposium on Language Rights, which has gathered in Barcelona several ombudsmen, language commissioners and other national and international experts. Within the context of this symposium, the Ombudsman stated that the language system in Catalonia is a treasure that has to be preserved and promoted, an opinion shared by international organizations and observers, who consider Catalonia to be a model of linguistic coexistence.
In this regard, the Ombudsman stated that, whatever the outcome of the sovereigntist process and above the legitimate differences between parties, the current language model should be maintained and improved. Rafael Ribó will inform of such consideration the Parliament and the Catalan Government.
Despite such good linguistic coexistence, both the Catalan Ombudsman and the participant speakers have reported that the Spanish Government violates national and international mandates on language. Thus, recent reports published by the Committee of Experts on the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in Spain, published in 2008 and 2011, state that the presence of all regional languages in state-run public services shall be guaranteed, and highlight the fact that the use of official languages other than Spanish in public services is declining.
Source: Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya, Spain
