Ministry of Culture and Youth to host first Arabic Language Summit

The first Arabic Language Summit will be held on December 19-20, 2021, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and in accordance with the Ministry of Culture and Youth’s strategic objectives. The summit is being held in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and carries the Expo 2020 Dubai slogan of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.” The summit’s maiden session, conducted in conjunction with the 22nd session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers, is themed ‘Bridging Cultures. Connecting Civilizations.’

Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said: “The Arabic Language Summit is the first official government event of its kind in the Arab world. It reflects the UAE’s keenness and commitment to promote the Arabic Language and strengthen its global standing. It is testament to our efforts to strengthen the Language’s current status and secure its future.”

“The summit will focus on a number of topics, most notably the Status Report and the Future of the Arabic Language, published by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth, in partnership with the Arabic Language Advisory Council. The key findings and recommendations of the first report issued in December 2020 will be discussed at length along sideways to launch and develop the Language further.”

Her Excellency added: “The summit will discuss some of the most pressing topics related to the Arabic Language and how we can leverage it in different fields such as education, national policy, technology, digital content. The discussions will also focus on the role of Arabic in today’s times and how young Arabs relate to it. The summit will also adopt the outcomes of the Status Report and the Future of the Arabic Language and discuss how to tackle challenges facing the Language today. It will act as a platform to share experiences and voice opinions and a bridge to connect decision makers with researchers and academics.”

Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, President of Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said: “We are proud to be partnering with the Ministry of Culture and Youth to host this first-of-its-kind event. It’s a befitting tribute to the year of the 50^th when the UAE is on the threshold of the next 50 years towards it centennial. As the UAE strides ahead on the road to success and into the future, it stays firmly rooted in its Arab heritage and continues to be connected to its Language. The summit marks the first year of the founding of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and coincides with the International Arabic Language Day which is being celebrated under the theme ‘Arabic Language, a bridge between civilizations.” The summit promotes efforts to spread Arabic Language globally as a language of knowledge, culture and creativity. It aligns with the UAE’s national strategy to promote Arabic by shaping the present and planning the future of the Language in line with the cultural consciousness that the world is witnessing today”.

Stakeholders, decision-makers, and the general public gather at the Arabic Language Summit. It highlights the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Youth and the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre to raise the prestige of the Arabic Language and make the UAE a language centre of excellence. The summit also honours World Arabic Language Day, which is observed on December 18th each year. The day was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to honour Arabic’s significance as a pillar of humanity’s cultural diversity and one of the most widely spoken languages, with over 400 million people speaking it.

The summit is a reference platform for the Arabic Language, with the goal of enhancing the Language’s prestige, culture, arts, and literature, as well as providing a fresh method to empowering the Language as a medium of communication and information acquisition. It’s a cultural event that brings together language experts under one roof to chart the future of the Language.