Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus A.Dapkiunas participates in the round table on the protection of translators and interpreters

11-04-2018

On April 10, 2018 at the UN headquarters in New York, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Andrei Dapkiunas, participated in the round-table discussion on the protection of translators and interpreters working in high risk settings.

The event “Protect Interpreters and Translators. Protect the World” was organised by the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the United Nations in collaboration with a group of six non-governmental organisations advocating for the need to enhance the physical and legal protection of interpreters and translators working in peacekeeping and peace-building operations.

Background Information: In May 2017, upon the joint Belarus-Azerbaijan initiative, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution «The role of professional translation in connecting nations and fostering peace, understanding and development» which, among other aspects, recognised the practical contribution of language specialists in the maintenance of peace and security and peacekeeping. The discussion in the format of the roundtable is a continuation of efforts of Belarus to promote the principle of multilingualism and the profession of interpreter and translator in the UN.

In his statement, A.Dapkiunas drew attention to the existence of significant gaps in international law regarding the protection of one of the most vulnerable categories of civilian population present in international conflicts — interpreters and translators — and also cited some of the options for addressing these gaps by the example of similar categories that enjoy higher level of protection.

By promoting such initiatives, Belarus is strengthening its’ image of the state, which advocates non-military settlement of disputes through the peaceful dialogue.

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