UNESCO honours Turkic Heritage with a Global Language Day

By Ahmet SA?LAM

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 43rd General Conference was held in the historic city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

At the 43rd General Conference of UNESCO, the proposal by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan to declare 15 December as “World Turkic Language Family Day” was supported by 21 member states. As a result, 15 December was officially accepted as “World Turkic Language Family Day”.

The choice of 15 December has a special meaning. On 15 December 1893, Danish scientist Vilhelm Thomsen announced that he had succeeded in deciphering the alphabet of the Orkhon Inscriptions, one of the oldest written documents of the Turkic language. This date is regarded as a milestone pointing to the deep past of the Turkic language family and its shared cultural heritage.

The basis of this important development was laid during the 12th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (formerly “Turkic Council”) Heads of State Council on 7 October 2025 in Azerbaijan.

At the summit, the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, expressed the wish that 15 December be declared as “World Turkic Language Family Day” at the UNESCO 43rd General Conference, which would begin in Uzbekistan on 30 October 2025. During his speech at the summit, Erdo?an underlined that “the development of a Turkish Large Language Model should be accelerated in order to keep up with global advances in artificial intelligence and to preserve cultural richness.” He also stated that Türkiye had taken the first step regarding a common alphabet among Turkic states, presenting to the leaders of the Turkic states a work about Chingiz Aitmatov and the Oghuznames, both printed in a common alphabet.

These developments are considered a very important step for the future of the Organisation of Turkic States. At the same time, they directly support the development of the Turkic language in line with the requirements of the digital age and its becoming a common means of communication over a large geography.

In conclusion, UNESCO’s declaration of 15 December as “World Turkic Language Family Day” will increase the international visibility of the shared cultural and linguistic heritage of the Turkic world; it will contribute to the Turkic language reaching a broader sphere of influence as a cultural, scientific and digital force.

Ahmet SA?LAM is an export consultant and 2024 MHP ?skilip Mayoral Candidate / www.saglamahmet.com / Ankara / 03.11.2025