Background
- Belfast City Council (‘the Council’) published its first Language Policy in 2006. This outlines its commitment to using Irish and Ulster Scots in correspondence with members of the public should they so choose to do so to support the heritage and traditions of the various language communities living in the city.
- Further to its original Language Policy, in 2018 the Council adopted a Language Strategy 2018 - 2023. In keeping with the Council’s long-term vision for the city, as set out in the Belfast Agenda, the Strategy aspires to create a place where linguistic diversity is celebrated and respected, and where those who live, work and visit Belfast can expect to access what Belfast has to offer, using forms of language with which they are familiar and comfortable. The aims of the Strategy are to:
- Address language and communication challenges and opportunities within the Belfast Agenda outcomes;
- Establish a transparent set of principles for promoting, protecting and enhancing the linguistic diversity of the city;
- Increase the profile of different languages along with awareness and understanding of associated cultures, heritage and traditions;
- Engage with language communities to address language barriers and promote equality of opportunity through the development and integration of different languages into mainstream civic life;
- Enhance good relations within the city through the promotion of linguistic diversity and to celebrate the significance of language in the history and culture of the city;
- Address staff training and capacity building needs in relation to the role linguistic diversity has in the workplace and in the delivery of services.
- Work in partnership to promote linguistic diversity across the city, to move toward our shared vision of inclusive growth, where no one is left behind.
- In adopting the Language Strategy, the Council was mindful of international and domestic legal obligations and standards which are set out at Appendix One. It was also informed by demand for the use of minority languages and feedback from wide- ranging consultation.
- Irish language is part of the shared cultural wealth and heritage of everyone who lives in Belfast and is the first language of a growing community of our citizens in the city.
- The European Charter on Minority Languages states that the adoption of special measures in favour of regional or minority languages aimed at promoting equality between the users of these languages and the rest of the population or which take due account of their specific conditions is not considered to be an act of discrimination against the users of more widely-used languages.
- It is against this backdrop that the Council has developed its Irish Language Policy.
