World Turkic Language Family Day Draws Criticism Over Exclusion of Uyghur Language

By Tahir Imin Uyghurian | December 15

UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference in Samarkand officially declared December 15 as “World Turkic Language Family Day,” marking a symbolic milestone for Turkic-speaking states seeking to promote shared linguistic heritage and cultural unity. World Turkic Language Day was proposed by the official members of the Organization of Turkic States — Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan — with 26 other countries joining as co-sponsors.

Türkiye’s state broadcaster TRT Haber reported that, the initiative aims to strengthen the preservation, transmission, and global visibility of Turkic languages, tracing their legacy from the 8th-century Orkhon Inscriptions to ongoing efforts to establish a Common Turkic Alphabet under the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

In its statement marking the inaugural observance of the day, the United Nations said:”The choice of 15 December is rooted in a landmark moment in linguistic scholarship. On that day in 1893, Danish linguist Vilhelm Thomsen announced he had deciphered the alphabet of the Orkhon Inscriptions – some of the oldest known written records of the Turkic language family.His breakthrough opened the door to a deeper understanding of a linguistic tradition that today connects dozens of communities across Eurasia.”

The Organization of Turkic States marked the day with messages and events held across its member states.

TÜRKSOY, the International Organization of Turkic Culture also celebrated the World Turkic Language Family Day on December 15 with the panel “The Voice of a Millennia-Old Heritage.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was credited by Turkish officials for advancing the initiative through diplomatic engagement within OTS summits.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye stated that “The decision, prepared by our country together with fraternal Turkic states, will further strengthen joint efforts aimed at preserving the Turkic language as the shared heritage of the Turkic world and passing it on to future generations.”

The Ministry also said “proclamation of World Turkic Language Family Day in Samarkand, one of the ancient cities of the Turkic world in Uzbekistan, also carries special significance. We extend our congratulations in advance to the Turkic world and to all friends who speak or are learning Turkic languages on the occasion of World Turkic Language Family Day.”

The observance took place as the Uyghur language—one of the oldest and most historically significant Turkic languages—continues to be excluded from education and official government use in its native homeland, while receiving no acknowledgment from the United Nations or from member states of the Organization of Turkic States. All celebrations and congratulatory messages from the Organization of Turkic States, as well as official statements issued by individual member countries, excluded the Uyghur people, the Uyghur language, and references to the Uyghur homeland. This omission stands in contrast to the historical significance of the Uyghur language as one of the oldest Turkic languages and the Uyghur homeland as a center that produced some of the most important works of Turkic literature, including Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk by Mahmud al-Kashgari and Qutadghu Bilig by Yusuf Has Hajib.

Uyghur Times noted that, the official website of the Organization of Turkic States does not contain a single reference to “Uyghur,” “Xinjiang,” “Uyghur language” or “East Turkistan.”

The exclusion of Uyghurs and Uyghur language from the official statements  has drawn criticism from Uyghur scholars and activists, who note that the Uyghur language—one of the oldest and most historically documented Turkic languages—was absent from official promotional materials and visuals associated with the new observance.

The Center for Uyghur Studies, a Virginia based human rights researcher and advocacy organization issued  a statement drawing attention to Chinese policies aimed at erasing the Uyghur language and urged UNESCO to ensure that the new observance does not become a symbolic celebration detached from reality.

“UNESCO inaugurates World Turkic Language Family Day while the Uyghur language, as the root of all Turkic languages, faces state-sponsored extinction in our homeland,” said Executive Director Abdulhakim Idris. “China has criminalized our mother tongue in schools, destroyed our textbooks, and imprisoned the guardians of our language. We cannot claim to honor Turkic linguistic diversity while remaining silent about the systematic destruction of its most persecuted member.”

Uyghur intellectual, President of @ETExileGov Mamtimin Ala criticized the exclusion in a public post, stating:“December 15 is declared as ‘World Turkic Language Day.’ In its promotional materials, the Uyghur language and the flag of East Turkistan are excluded.Without Uyghur as one of the oldest languages in the Turkish/Turkic world, no Turkic language family is complete, genuine, or meaningful. With the unfolding tragedy of Uyghurs and the silence of the entire Turkish/Turkic world about it, no Turkic community—whether cultural, linguistic, political or otherwise—holds any real significance as long as they live under the fear and threat of China.”

Observers note that while cultural integration initiatives such as the Common Turkic Alphabet are framed as inclusive, they risk losing moral legitimacy when they ignore Turkic communities facing systemic persecution.

The Organization of Turkic States (OTS), formerly known as the Turkic Council, was founded on October 3, 2009, in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Its General Secretariat is located in Istanbul, Turkey. During the 8th summit in Istanbul in 2021, the organization was restructured and adopted its current name.Its primary objective is to foster comprehensive cooperation among Turkic States.