The symposium, organized at the initiative of eleven permanent delegations to UNESCO (Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Turkey) comes within the framework of the United Nations Year forCultural Heritage.

The Judaeo-Spanish language - Ladino - is a blend of languages spoken in Spain during the mediaeval period and Hebrew. It was spoken by the Jewish communities that were driven out of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 15th century and migrated to Europe and North Africa, and later towards the Americas and Israel. With a rich vocabulary dating back to the Middle Ages, Ladino offers an outstanding field for linguistic study.
During the symposium, the different aspects of Judaeo-Spanish culture will be discussed, notably the current state of the language, the role of the mass media, and education in transmitting Ladino, and the actions to be undertaken in order to preserve this part of the Judaeo-Spanish intangible cultural heritage.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, away on mission, was represented at the opening of the gathering by the Deputy Director-General, Marcio Barbosa, who opened the proceedings, in which numerous international experts will be participating.

Mr Matsuura, in a message addressed to the participants, emphasized that: “Judaeo-Spanish history is an eloquent illustration of the capacity of languages to transmit the values of intercultural dialogue and pluralism”. He reminded the participants that this “language and the culture it embodies are today under threat”, and welcomed “the strong mobilization of men and women, in Paris, Istanbul, Jerusalem or Buenos Aires, who are fighting to save this endangered heritage”. “Their goal is clear - to preserve an essential part of what constitutes a common heritage for humanity”, he declared.

Wishing every success to the symposium, the Director-General reaffirmed “the vital importance of preserving, developing, and transmitting to future generations the heritage in all its forms, thereby helping to sustain creativity in diversity and to establish a true dialogue between cultures”.