Coordinating Committee of UNESCO Chairs approved Yugra State University's project on preservation and development of languages and cultures of small indigenous peoples

The program for the establishment of the UNESCO Chair "Indigenous Peoples in Context of Globalization" on the basis of Yugra State University will be proposed for consideration at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

At the meeting of the Coordinating Committee of UNESCO Chairs of the Russian Federation, the Program was successfully defended and proposed for further consideration at the headquarters of the Organization.

Coordinating Committee of UNESCO Chairs approved Yugra State University's project on preservation and development of languages and cultures of small indigenous peoples

The program for the establishment of the UNESCO Chair "Indigenous Peoples in Context of Globalization" on the basis of Yugra State University will be proposed for consideration at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

At the meeting of the Coordinating Committee of UNESCO Chairs of the Russian Federation, the Program was successfully defended and proposed for further consideration at the headquarters of the Organization.

The meeting of the Coordinating Committee was held in a mixed format – on the basis of the University of Management "TISBI" with the involvement of participants from other regions. Yugra State University was represented by the rector of the University Roman Kuchin and the Curator of the Finno-Ugric studies and Center for Northern Peoples, Tatiana Dyatlova.

At the event, six proposals for the establishment of new UNESCO chairs were considered, two of which passed to the next stage.

The period from 2022 to 2032 was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. According to this, the project of Yugra State University aroused special interest, receiving a high expert assessment.

It should be noted that the UNESCO Chair - "Environmental Dynamics and Global Climate Change" has been operating on the basis of YugraSU since 2008, where ecological problems and their impact on the environment are studied.

As the rector of Yugra State University Roman Kuchin noted, the establishment of the Chair "Indigenous Peoples in Context of Globalization" is a great achievement and a new point of growth not only for YugraSU, but also for the region as a whole. This will provide additional resources for research and educational projects, allow to expand international relations and strengthen leadership positions.

Yugra is the original place of residence of indigenous small peoples. They are carriers of a huge variety of unique cultures, traditions, languages and knowledge, having a special relationship with their lands. At the same time, their languages are particularly vulnerable and endangered.

"Today, Yugra has already accumulated enormous experience in the field of preservation and development of indigenous languages, and establishment of the Chair will give an additional stimulus to solving the problem of catastrophic loss and the need to preserve, revive and popularize them. I am sure that the organizational potential, expertise and experience in the field of education will help to mobilize stakeholders to address issues on sustainable development of indigenous peoples," Roman Kuchin said.