A series of messages and talks from key officials and guests marked the opening day of the 2023 Conference-Workshop on Indigenous Languages and Sustainable Development Goals on Feb. 21, held at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) Auditorium, Iloilo City campus.
The officials that gave messages during the first plenary session were UPV Chancellor Clement Camposano; Mr. Ricardo Nolasco, Filipino linguist and overall conference chair; Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda; Secretary General Ivan Anthony Henares of the Philippine National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes; Usec. Gina Gonong of the Department of Education (DepEd); Dr. Thomas LeBlanc, Education Office Director of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines; and DepEd-6 Assistant Regional Director Pedro Escobarte, Jr.
The second plenary session centered on the topic “What the Philippines PISA 2018 Tells Us About Low-Achieving Students’ School Lives: Contemplating the Roles of Indigenous Languages,” discussed by Dr. Allan B.I. Bernardo of the De La Salle University.
The topic for the third parallel session, Dr. Aniceto Orbeta, Jr., President of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), talked about “Data and Evidence-Based Evaluation and Policymaking for Equitable and Quality Education and Inclusive and Sustainable Development.”
Panel discussions, a learning session, and a parallel panel presentation were also spread out on the opening day of the conference.
The conference provides the platform for key stakeholders to begin the process of a strategic national response to the Four Outcomes envisioned in the Global Action Plan of the International Decade on Indigenous Languages 2022-2032 (IDIL), in alignment to the SDGs, and the various national, regional, sectoral and agency, and local development goals.
The theme for the event is “Carrying Out the Global Action Plan and the 2023 Agenda.” It explores the intersections of the Four Outcomes of the IDIL 2022-2032 Global Action Plan and the SDGs as underlined in the 2030 Agenda.
The conference is considered an important event that kicks off IDIL 2022-2032 here in the Philippines. It runs from Feb. 21-23 at UPV.
The conference partners are UP Visayas, Tebtebba Foundation, 170+ Talaytayan MLE Inc., ABC+: Enhancing Basic Education in the Philippines, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Research Triangle Institute or RTI International, Philippine Normal University-Language Studies Center, Philippine Normal University-Research Center for Teacher Quality-PNU Manila, and Lyceum of the Philippines University Manila. (With sources from conference partners)
