International Mother Language Day 2026

Happy International Mother Language Day in advance to you all!

It is my great pleasure to celebrate with you a day that honors something profoundly meaningful to every one of us: our mother languages.  International Mother Language Day reminds us that languages are essential not only for communication, but for inclusion, cultural dignity, and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

This year’s theme - “Youth voices on multilingual education” - could not be more relevant for the TISA community.  Here at TISA, I understand that more than 50 mother tongues are spoken across the school.  That alone is an extraordinary strength.  It is a living reminder that multilingualism is not an abstract idea; it is something you embody every single day.

Around the world, young people are stepping up to defend and revitalize languages, create digital content, and use technology to shine a light on linguistic diversity.  In doing so, they show us that multilingualism is not just a skill - it is a source of identity, learning, belonging, and empowerment.

Languages are far more than vocabulary and grammar.  They are connection - to our families, to our cultures, to our homelands, and to one another.  When we speak a language, we carry with us history, humor, emotion, memory, and worldview across generations.

But we also know that significant challenges remain.  Forty percent of learners worldwide still lack access to education in a language they fully understand, making learning harder and deepening inequalities.  At the same time, many minority and indigenous languages are disappearing, each loss taking with it irreplaceable knowledge, culture, and heritage.

This is why you - the young people - are at the heart of this year’s celebration.  UNESCO emphasizes that youth today are shaping the future of multilingual education through activism, creativity, innovation, and digital engagement.

And here at TISA, in this vibrant community of cultures and languages, you are already showing the world what is possible when diversity is embraced and celebrated.

In addition to being a UN representative, I am first and foremost a father: a father to two boys, now young men, who also spent part of their school years in an international school like TISA.  I saw firsthand how their mother (or shall we say, father) language – Punjabi - was an anchor for them.  It grounded them in who they were, no matter what part of the world they were living in.

I also witnessed how every additional language they learned – Urdu, English, and others - became a bridge: a bridge to new friendships, new opportunities, and entirely new ways of seeing the world.
And I believe, deeply, that in a multipolar world that can often feel divided, multilingual young people - young people like you, and like my sons - are building the pathways that keep humanity connected.

So my ask to you today is simple: use your languages—all of them—boldly and creatively.

Your voices can help shape education systems where no student is left behind simply because they speak a different language.
Your voices can help protect languages that risk disappearing.

Your voices can inspire change—locally, nationally, and globally.

Today, more than ever, we must celebrate our diversity - linguistic, cultural, and personal.
 

As TISA, you are a community that is stronger because you are 50 languages strong.  I encourage you to keep sharing your languages and your cultures with your peers - not just today, but every day.

And perhaps even more importantly, remember to listen.  Listen to the languages, the stories, and the experiences of those around you - 
including the words that are spoken, and the ones that are unspoken.

Because diversity is a strength.  And mutual respect - across languages, cultures, and identities - is the superpower we need to build a world that is more inclusive, more sustainable, and more peaceful.

Thank you!