Language Policy as the Foundation of Educational Cooperation
SDG 4
November 19, 15:00-18:00
Academic Council Hall
Session
Amid the global transformation of the educational landscape, language policy is becoming a key factor in ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education.
This section is dedicated to analysing the role of language policy as the foundation of educational cooperation across the SCO+ countries, as well as to searching for effective mechanisms to achieve SDG 4 through the development of multilingual education. The session will focus on the implementation of language policy within the SCO Member States, the sharing of the unique experience of RUDN University in multilingual development, and the understanding of the conceptual foundations of Russia's language policy in the context of global educational trends.
The goal of the session is to identify and assess how language policy can serve as a bridge for academic mobility, joint educational programmes, and equal access to quality education for all, regardless of language background.
Facts and Figures
According to a UNECE report (May 2026), if current trends continue, only 19 of the 169 SDG targets will be achieved by 2030; progress on 69 targets is deemed insufficient, and regression compared to 2015 has been recorded on 26 targets (including equal access to education). This places language policy among the critical tools for overcoming educational inequality.
In the UNECE region, only 55 per cent of member states (31 out of 56) submitted national reports on the implementation of the Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), which indicates a lack of systematic monitoring and standardised approaches – including in accounting for linguistic diversity when assessing the quality of education.
The integration of ESD into higher and vocational education remains fragmented and is often limited to optional courses, whilst only 71 per cent of teaching staff are assessed as competent in matters of sustainable development. Inadequate training of senior management has been identified as a critical gap, which blocks the implementation of multilingual educational models at the institutional level.
A joint study by UNECE and the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA, 2026) covered 29 education quality assurance agencies; the majority of them lack a systematic definition of "sustainability". Key barriers include workforce limitations (a lack of expert competencies) and regulatory constraints (the absence of requirements to account for linguistic diversity in quality standards), which directly hinders the implementation of SDG 4 in multilingual communities.
The level of integration of indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge into educational programmes accounts for only 52 per cent of the planned target – the lowest figure across all ESD areas. For SCO countries, which are home to a wide range of ethnic groups, language policy is becoming a key mechanism for preserving cultural heritage and ensuring inclusive education.
In the SCO+ countries, which bring together over 3.2 billion people and more than 200 languages, an effective language policy is a vital prerequisite for achieving SDG 4. However, as the UNECE experience shows, the gap between strategic declarations (with the implementation of tasks to establish ESD foundations assessed at 73.5 per cent) and their real integration into institutional practices persists across all regions, which requires the development of specific mechanisms for transferring successful multilingual models (such as the experience of RUDN).
Discussion Issues
Language policy as a driver for achieving SDG 4 in the SCO Member States
Strategies for implementing language policy in China and the CIS countries: challenges and areas for growth
The multilingual model of RUDN University: Sharing and scaling experience
Sensitive aspects of language policy in the context of SDG 4
Programme
Session Moderators' Welcoming Remarks
Natalia Pomortseva (Russia)
Director of the Institute of the Russian Language at RUDN University
Sergey Volkov (Kyrgyzstan)
Rector of the Boris Yeltsin Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University
Media educational technologies in the implementation of language policy: The case of studying Russian language and literature by learners in the Republic of Belarus
Gyulnara Yustinskaya (Belarus)
Vice-Rector for Research at the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University
Pending approval
Venera Sukreeva (Kyrgyzstan)
Director of the Russian Language and Culture Centre, Head of the Department of Russian and Slavic Linguistics at Osh State University
Topic of the report
Pending approval
Nina Tatkalo (Armenia)
Director of the Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication at the Russian-Armenian University
Topic of the report
Pending approval
Anastasia Atabekova (Russia)
Vice-Rector for Multilingual Development at RUDN University
Topic of the report
Pending approval
Natalia Pomortseva (Russia)
Director of the Institute of the Russian Language at RUDN University
Topic of the report
Pending approval
Nauryzbai Baikadamov (Kazakhstan)
Chairman of the Board – Rector of the Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University
Topic of the report
Pending approval
Maksudjon Yuldashev (Uzbekistan)
Rector of the Jizzakh State Pedagogical University named after Abdulla Qodiriy
