The objective of this meeting is to develop a tool based on <a target=_blank href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/cultural-diversity/languages-and-multilingualism/endangered-languages/language-vitality/">UNESCO's Language Vitality and Endangerment Methodology (LVE)</a> that will help to assess the language situation in a local or national context. Based on that assessment, appropriate languages policies and measures are to be created and implemented.

For the first time at UNESCO, the meeting will bring together more than fifty international experts working in such areas as linguistics, anthropology, education, media and Internet. These experts represent universities, research institutes, private companies and non-governmental organizations.

The meeting is expected to revise the Language Vitality and Endangerment Methodology in light of the experts' analysis of the feedback accumulated over the past eight years and to come up with concrete proposals for a tool taking into account critical comments and suggestions of participants attending the meeting. Participants will also thoroughly examine the data collection questionnaire and produce guidelines for those involved in language policy development and language management at the national level.

All the above materials will be published on UNESCO's website.

Language issues are central for UNESCO's mandate. The Organization applies, therefore, an interdisciplinary approach to the promotion of linguistic diversity that takes various forms - capacity-building, research and analysis, awareness raising, project implementation, networks, dissemination of information etc.