On 21 February 2019, which is the observance of International Mother Language Day, The United Nations will issue three mini-sheets of six stamps to commemorate world languages. The stamps sheets feature greetings in 41 languages. They were illustrated and designed by Sergio Baradat.
Languages play a crucial role in the daily lives of people. It is through language that we communicate with the world, define our identity, express our history and culture, learn, defend our human rights and participate in all aspects of society. People use language to preserve their community’s history, customs and traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking, meaning, and expression, and to construct their future.
Despite their immense value, languages around the world continue to disappear at an alarming rate. The United Nations declared 2019 The Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) to raise awareness about these unique languages and to appreciate the important contribution they make to our world’s rich cultural diversity.
