H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, and H.E. Ibrahim Chaibi, Tunisian Minister of Religious Affairs, chaired, on December 20, 2022 at ALECSO headquarters, the opening of the Second International Conference on “The Arabic Language and Human Cultural Diversity”. The Conference coincided with the World Arabic Language Day, celebrated on December 18th of each year.
In his remarks on this occasion, the Director-General stressed that developing the learning and teaching of Arabic and promoting its use at all stages of education and in all fields of life are key to advancing the Arabic language and enhancing the Arab Nation’s contribution to Humanity’s cultural and economic progress. This, he added, requires increasing and coordinating efforts to promote the computerization of the Arabic language by leveraging new technologies, including AI applications, to facilitate the learning and teaching of Arabic, and to develop the production of Arabic digital content. This is a shared responsibility that involves individuals, institutions, as well as the public and private sectors.
For his part, the Tunisian Minister stressed that the Arabic language is currently faced with many dangers, as a result of the dominance of the languages of the advanced world that are in keeping with the computer revolution and have a strong presence on the Internet and in the virtual world. In the same context, he denounced the prevalent use of colloquial phrases and expressions as a communication tool in social media networks, to the detriment of standard Arabic.
The conference was attended by the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan and Bahrain, along with members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Tunisia, and a number of Arabic language experts and specialists.
