The United Nations and its cultural agency UNESCO have officially announced the celebration of World Turkic Languages Day. The decision was adopted at UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference held in Samarkand on November 3, 2025.
The day will be observed annually on December 15. The choice of date is symbolic: on December 15, 1893, Danish linguist Vilhelm Thomsen announced the deciphering of the Orkhon inscriptions — the oldest known written monuments of the Turkic peoples.
UNESCO emphasized that the new observance:
- highlights the shared cultural heritage of Turkic languages;
- reaffirms the organization’s commitment to multilingual development and cultural diversity;
- strengthens cooperation among Turkic states in preserving and transmitting linguistic heritage to future generations.
The initiative was proposed by Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and was supported by 26 countries.
