International scholars and experts estimated that close to half of the languages spoken in the world today are doomed or in danger of disappearing in the foreseeable future. As the death of a language means the demise of its culture, the disappearance of any language is, therefore, an irreparable loss for the heritage of all humankind. Safeguarding this diversity today is one of the most urgent challenges facing our world.
The ASEM Language Diversity Forum (ASEM LDF) was the first ASEM Meeting which will gather scholars, experts and policy makers in the field of culture and language to discuss strategies and approaches in Safeguarding and Promoting Language Diversity in Asia and Europe towards Sustainable Development. ASEM LDF aims to create a platform of cooperation among related stakeholders to exchange best practices in protecting the diversity of cultural expressions.
The ASEM LDF was held in on the 4-5 September 2012 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and highlighted 4 (four) essential topics related to the strategies in protecting language diversity in Asia and Europe:
- Language diversity policies and issues in Asia and Europe;
- Exchange of best practices in safeguarding and promoting language and cultural diversity
- Strategies in protecting and promoting language diversity in relation to sustainable economic development;
- The role of media and ICT in safeguarding and promoting language diversity
