This year marks the 25th anniversary of International Mother Language Day, celebrating a quarter-century of dedicated efforts to preserve and promote the use of mother tongues. 

A new UNESCO report, Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education, released on International Mother Language Day on 21 February 2025, highlights the urgent need to include multilingualism in education systems so that children learn in a language they understand. Today, 40 % of people globally lack access to education in the language they speak and understand fluently. In some low- and middle-income countries, this figure rises to 90%. More than a quarter of a billion learners are affected. As migration increases, linguistic diversity is becoming a global reality, and classrooms with learners from diverse language backgrounds are more common. Over 31 million displaced youth are facing language barriers in education. The report provides guidance to Ministries of Education and key educational stakeholders on how to implement multilingual education policies and practices, with the goal of creating educational systems that benefit all learners.

It will be presented during a global event Languages matter: Silver Jubilee Celebration of International Mother Language Day, organized at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 20 and 21 February 2025.