The theme of the 101st world congress of Esperanto will be “Social Justice – Linguistic Justice” and will be discussed in Esperanto. The congress will take place in Nitra, Slovakia, from 23 to 30 July 2016 and will gather 1000 to 2000 participants coming from 70 to 80 countries. Regarding this Forum, I would like to warmly thank the interpreters who also enable hearing-impaired participants to follow our discussions. Using the mothertongue in all spheres of life is fundamental human right, as stated by the UNESCO Convention. Let me add here that UNESCO will be a partner in the commemoration of the centenary of the death of Ludwik Zamenhof, doctor and linguist (1859-1917) and founder of Esperanto. Finally, we would like to draw your attention to the importance of language for the final version of the recommendations of this Forum as well. Dankon pro via atento – Thank you for your attention.

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