Fernão Language Rights Act of 2017
Author: Beto Goncalves (CTA)
Sponsors: Peter Janzen (UA), Vishal Vig (RGA), Alexios Viel (RGA), Shankara Khatri (Ind), Iyasu Isaias Mengistu (Ind), David Bloom (RGA)
Affirming that minority rights are a crucial part of humanitarian development,
Further affirming that language rights are a crucial component of minority rights,
Recognizing that Fernão is a multilingual and multicultural society,
Believing that all peoples should have a right to expect reasonable accommodation of their language of choice,
§1 - National and Minority Languages Designation
1. The official languages of Fernão shall consist of the national languages, which are used broadly across the country, and of the minority languages, which are used in particular areas of Fernão.
2. Portuguese, English, Arabic, Swahili, and Hindi shall be recognized as the five national languages of Fernão,
A. A sixth language may be elevated to the status of national language only through an act of the Senate;
3. The minority languages of Fernão shall be determined by the Minority Languages Community Service established in Section 2 of this legislation, and shall include the following:
A.The languages of the indigenous and aboriginal peoples of Fernão,
B. The creole and patois languages of Fernão,
C. Any other languages spoken by an established residential community in Fernão, including, but not limited to, the following:
i.Malayalam,
ii.Gujarati,
iii.French,
iv.Dutch,
v.Danish,
vi.Spanish,
vii.Yiddish,
viii.Oromo,
ix.Somali,
x.Tigray.
§ 2 - Ordinance of the Minority Language Communities Service (MLCS)
1. The Minority Language Communities Service is hereby ordained as an executive department of the national government.
2. The Minority Language Communities Service shall be under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, which is required to provide administration and funding to the Service.
3. The Minority Language Communities Service shall be headed by an Executive Director, who shall be appointed by the Minister of Culture and approved by a majority of a panel consisting of the Ministers of Health, Education, and Justice;
A. The Executive Director shall appoint a Director of Domestic Programs and a Director of International Outreach, who shall:
i. be equivalent in rank,
ii. report to the Executive Director;
B. The Executive Director shall serve a single two year term and will then be required to be approved by the aforementioned panel of Ministers to renew a term;
C. The Executive Director may be forcibly removed before the end of their term at the discretion of the Minister of Culture, but only for proven maladministration or incompetence.
4. The Minority Language Communities Service shall operate under the following principles:
A. To assist the inclusion of minority language communities, and their individual members, into Fernãoese society if so desired,
B. To assist minority language communities who wish to be independent of mainstream Fernãoese society to maintain their independence.
5. The Minority Language Communities Service shall have two divisions:
A. The Domestic Programs Division, which shall be:
i. headed by the Director of Domestic Programs,
ii. in charge of executing and enforcing the mandates to be elucidated in Sections 3 and 4 of this act,
B. The International Outreach Division, which shall be:
i. headed by the Director of International Outreach,
ii. in charge of executing and enforcing the mandates to be elucidated in Section 5 of this act.
§ 3 - Reasonable Accommodation of Minority Language Communities
1. In municipalities where more than five percent of the population speaks a recognized minority language, reasonable accommodation must be made for them in some public settings, including the following:
A. Communication and interaction, direct or indirect, with any level of the Government of Fernão, including, but not limited to:
i. In-person government services such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, driver’s licenses, etc. must be provided in every national language and every relevant minority language;
ii. Ballots must be available in every national language and every relevant minority language;
iii. All Fernãoese accused of a crime shall have the right to be tried in a court of law in the national language of their choice, with translation provided to any minority language;
iv. All road and street signs shall be listed in both the majority language and the relevant minority language(s), and
a. Municipalities have the power to add any additional language to street signs;
B. Hospitals and other health services must offer services in both the majority language and the relevant minority languages, and provide translation services to any national language;
C. Educational provisions for relevant minority language communities, including, but not limited to:
i. Primary and secondary schools with teaching entirely in the minority language,
ii. Textbooks printed in the minority language,
iii. Teachers fluent in the minority language to teach children of the community,
iv. Curricula which promote the inclusion of minorities,
D. Cultural preservation and expansion of the relevant minority language and its community through:
i. the establishment of local and regional cultural centers,
ii. local telecommunications, such as TV and radio broadcasts, in the minority language,
iii. academic programs on the study of the minority language in Fernãoese public universities.
§ 4 - Additional Domestic Mandates
1. The Minority Language Communities Service Domestic Programs Division (MLSCDPD) shall conduct an annual survey of current language policy in Fernão which will:
A. Have a particular focus on active legislation and policies addressing minority rights,
B. Be concluded with a briefing presented to the Minister of Culture at the end of the survey period,
C. Be publicized;
2. The Minority Language Communities Service Domestic Programs Division will engage and seek to utilize the resources of Fernãoese universities, academics, and policy experts with a vested interest in language policy, including:
A. Potential consultation when forming policy,
B. Assistance in conducting the annual survey of Fernão's language policy.
§ 5 - International Language Policy Outreach
1. The Minority Language Communities Service International Outreach Division (MLSCIOD) shall operate under the following additional principles, in addition to those prescribed to the Minority Language Communities Service as a whole:
A. To use the knowledge of the international community to improve language policy and minority language rights in Fernão,
B. To enter into the international dialogue of language policy, both in academic and governmental settings,
C. To establish a picture of Fernão as a forerunner in progressive language policy.
2. The Minority Language Communities Service International Outreach Division will engage and seek to utilize the resources and assistance of the following actors:
A. global organizations,
i. prioritizing those of which Fernão is a member,
a. the United Nations, of which Fernão is a member and its subordinate bodies, including, but not limited to:
1. the Commission on Human Rights
2. the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
3. the Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Committee (SOCHUM)
4. the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
ii. as well as engaging those organizations of which Fernão is not a member, or those which are international non-governmental organizations, including, but not limited to, the following:
a. Minority Rights Group International (MRGI),
b. Amnesty International,
c. Human Rights Watch (HRW),
d. the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH);
B. African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian regional organizations;
C. Other regional organizations which have dealt with minority language rights elsewhere, and may be capable of lending assistance to Fernão, including the following:
i. the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI),
ii. the European Association for the Defense of Human Rights (AEDH);
D. Various academic bodies and individual academics concerned with language rights and policy
4. The Minority Language Communities Service International Outreach Division will present to the Minister of Culture, and make public, a monthly brief of its activities.
