The 2nd National Languages Development Convention, launched in July, concluded on Oct. 27. It featured a series of forums co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture (MOC), Ministry of Education, Council of Indigenous Peoples, and Hakka Affairs Council, along with a main conference that brought together experts, researchers, officials, and representatives from non-governmental organizations in Taiwan and abroad.

During the conference, Joseph Lo Bianco, professor of Language and Literacy Education at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, emphasized that fostering a deeper understanding of national languages requires continuous dialogue with the public, noting that equal treatment of every language is a fundamental principle.

Minister of Culture Li Yuan thanked all the participants in the convention. He highlighted that Taiwan is an inclusive and resilient society that respects all languages. He stressed that the ministry’s priority is to achieve language equality through various initiatives.

The MOC also noted that Taiwanese Taigi, Hakka, and Indigenous languages are currently at risk of decline as the number of young people who speak their mother languages is decreasing. To address this, the MOC, working with other governmental agencies, will propose the “National Language Development Plan 2.0” based on the consensus from the convention as a blueprint to enhance the preservation and revitalization of national languages in the country.