#IDSL2020 #SLEveryone #GlobalLeadersChallenge 

Before this post – this deaf blogger must say “Congratulated the Netherland Deaf Community because their Parliament passed the proposed law for their Dutch Sign language to be recognised as an official legal language today.

The International Day of Sign Languages is an unique opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users. This celebration arises
from the Resolution A/RES/72/161 of the United Nations adopted in 2017, which recognizes the 23rd of September as the International Day of Sign Languages.

The WFD is proud to announce a Global Leaders Challenge ! to be achieved during the 2020 International Day of Sign Languages. This challenge aims to promote the use of national sign languages by national and global leaders in partnership with their national associations of deaf
people.

Your country leaders – might they be government officials, members of parliaments, members of city council – should sign in your national sign language “(name of your national sign language) is for Everyone! ”

For example: “Ghanan Sign Language is for Everyone!”   ”La Langue des Signes Belge Francophone est pour tous!”

The Global Leaders Challenge is an opportunity for national associations of deaf people to establish and maintain sustainable collaborations with their national leaders through the use of their national sign languages.

National associations of deaf people can contact their leaders and ask them to make a video in their national sign language, with their technical support. The WFD will collect all the videos to be released on their website and social media channels during the International Day of Sign Languages. In addition, the National Association of the Deaf will advocate for their National TV Broadcast channels to release the videos of national leaders at peak hours.

See our Global Leaders Challenge webpage  for more information.

What can National Associations of the Deaf do to ensure the achievement of their human rights? Endorsing our Charter on Sign Language Rights for All and advocating for the legal recognition of their national sign language! Let’s find out tomorrow the importance laying behind the legal
recognition of sign languages !

Why not? The Deaf Aotearoa asked several leaders around New Zealand. check out a couple leaders here.