This initiative was put forward by Uzbekistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan with the co-authorship of 26 UNESCO member countries, the Dunyo news agency reports.

The date of the celebration of the World Turkic Languages Day is December 15, because on this day in 1893, the Danish scientist Wilhelm Thomsen announced the deciphering of the alphabet of the Orkhon inscriptions, one of the oldest documents attesting to the origin of the Turkic languages.

The decision of the General Conference notes that the Turkic languages are native to more than 200 million people in an area of about 12 million square kilometers in several UNESCO member States.

The proclamation of the World Turkic Languages Day will contribute to the promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity, regional and global cooperation, the preservation and development of oral traditions and forms of expression of the Turkic peoples, as well as the implementation of UNESCO priorities in these areas.

This initiative also serves as a new impetus for the active development of research, awareness-raising activities and international cooperation in the Turkic languages, popularization of the cultural and documentary heritage of the Turkic-speaking states.

It is planned that as part of the annual celebration of the World Turkic Languages Day, various cultural presentations and events will be held, such as exhibitions, lectures, literary evenings, artistic performances demonstrating the cultural and social value of the Turkic languages, as well as raising awareness about the Turkic languages and their contribution to the development of mankind.