European Union 12th Session of the Forum on Minority Issues ” Education, Language and the Human Rights of Minorities” 28-29 November 2019 EU INTERVENTION Madame Chairperson, We are pleased to engage in this debate on Education, Language and the Human Rights of Minorities. The European Union is founded on ‘unity in diversity’. Besides 24 official languages of the Union, there are over 60 regional, indigenous or minority languages, spoken by some 40 million people. It is this diversity that makes the EU what it is: not a ‘melting pot’, but a common home celebrating diversity, where our many mother tongues are bridges to greater solidarity and mutual understanding. Our Charter of Fundamental Rights states that the Union shall respect cultural, religious and linguistic diversity. It prohibits discrimination based on many grounds, including language. The respect for the individual and for linguistic diversity, openness towards other cultures, tolerance and acceptance of otherness are core values of the EU. Educators and researchers from around the world confirm that education provides for better outcomes when based on respect for the identity of each and every child. We would also argue that respect for the cultural identity and language of the child is essential for achieving SDG 4 on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. At the same time, it is important to ensure quality learning of and teaching in the official language, as knowledge of that language is a crucial factor of social cohesion and integration. In today's interconnected world there is an increasing need to be able to speak several languages. For persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities it is equally important to speak the official language or languages of the State in order to better integrate, and one or more internationally used foreign