Paris, June 16, 2026 – As part of the final day of its diplomatic mission, the delegation of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) was received at UNESCO headquarters to reaffirm the importance of First Nations languages, cultures, education and knowledge for their well-being and self-determination.
The delegation engaged in discussions with representatives from several key sectors and programs, including the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, the World Heritage Convention, the Education Sector, the Man and the Biosphere Programme, as well as Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems and UNESCO’s 2017 Policy on Engaging with Indigenous Peoples, which is currently under revision.
This visit provided an opportunity to highlight the Declaration on the Rights of First Nations to Ancestral Languages, adopted by the AFNQL Chiefs in September 2024. Rooted in the legal orders and traditions of First Nations, this instrument recognizes their inherent responsibility and jurisdiction over the protection, preservation and transmission of their ancestral languages.
The delegation also used this platform to call on Canada to sign and ratify the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which recognizes the integral role of cultural, social, legal, educational and environmental dimensions for Indigenous Peoples.
With UNESCO’s Education Sector, the organization’s largest sector, discussions focused on the benefits of learning environments that value ancestral languages within a multilingual education context.
“Our languages are inseparable from our well-being, our identities and our self-determination. Quebec benefits from having a distinct voice at UNESCO to defend its cultural and linguistic specificities, First Nations must be able to do the same. It is a matter of coherence,
self-determination and respect for our rights,” said AFNQL Chief Francis Verreault-Paul.