Conference at the Frankfurt Book Fair: Languages as a key to Intercultural Dialogue

On 14 and 15 October 2008 the Frankfurt Book Fair will host a conference on multilingualism, literacy and intercultural dialogue. The event will be co-organized by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture, Multilingualism Policy Unit), and Frankfurt Book Fair Literacy Campaign (LitCam). This year the Commissioner for Multilingualism, Leonard Orban, will open the conference on the topic of multilingualism and integration. He will present his policy framework, highlighting the key role of linguistic diversity and language skills for intercultural dialogue and social inclusion. In September the European Commission will adopt an official Communication on Multilingualism. In the context of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue the French/Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf will chair a panel on languages and intercultural dialogue. As chairman of the "Group of Intellectuals for Intercultural Dialogue" set up by Commissioner Orban in 2007, Amin Maalouf will present the Group's report "A Rewarding Challenge: How the Multiplicity of Languages Could Strengthen Europe". On 15 October 2008 there will be a workshop on the recent study commissioned and published by the European Commission: "LACE - The Intercultural Competences Developed in Compulsory Foreign Languages Education in the European Union". This study looks at intercultural competences in language learning, focusing on sensitivity towards cultural differences and understanding how culture and language interact. The LitCam Conference is the main annual event of the UN Literacy Decade. Shashi Tharoor, the Indian writer and former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, acts as the LitCam patron. In 2008 Turkey will be the Guest of Honour at the Book Fair.