The UNESCO General Conference officially recognized Bahasa Indonesia as its 10th language during its 42nd meeting in Paris, France (20/11/2023). Until 2023, UNESCO had officially used a total of 10 languages—French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, and now Indonesian.
According to the official press release from the Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia, this recognition empowers Indonesians for use in courts and allows direct translation of all official documents into the Indonesian language.
Bahasa Indonesia earned its status as an official language at UNESCO through a resolution titled ‘Recognition of Indonesian as an Official Language of the General Conference of UNESCO,’ as stated by Indonesia’s President, Joko Widodo.
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This decision to designate Bahasa Indonesia as an official UNESCO language wasn’t just a coincidence. The Indonesian government meticulously submitted the Indonesian language, aiming to bolster its international role in the coming years.
Consequently, they pursued a formal De Jure effort to secure UNESCO’s recognition of Indonesian as an official language. President Joko Widodo expressed immense pride in the government’s accomplishments, aiming for the Indonesian language to gain more global prominence.
Numerous reasons support the significance of international formalization for Indonesian:
- Indonesian boasts over 275 million native speakers and adheres to established linguistic standards, making it suitable for diverse fields like academia, governance, commerce, and culture.
- With Indonesia ranked the world’s 4th most populous country, the language naturally has extensive reach. Moreover, since 2015, over 150,000 foreign students have actively promoted Baa.
- Indonesia’s active engagement in global leadership forums, such as the 2022 G-20 and the 2023 ASEAN Chair, underscores its pivotal role in economic, peace, and cultural collaborations with other nations.
