The BIHAR initiative places the world’s minoritized language communities at the center, bringing their narratives and discourses to the forefront. It is a strategic project born from collaboration between Garabide, the Sociolinguistics Cluster, Taupa Euskaltzaleen Mugimendua and the Plazara collective, and has been launched through this joint effort, receiving strong institutional support from the outset.
Over the past two years, the development of a diagnosis, its subsequent socialization phase, and the organization of an international congress have been the main pillars of the project. The aim has been to position the initiative at the center of international attention while strengthening the critical awareness and capacity of those working in support of the Basque language. This process has highlighted that Basque speakers and minoritized language communities around the world share similar needs and risks, and that traditional discourses on the revitalization of minoritized languages are weakening.
In response to this context, an International Diagnostic was carried out in 2025, gathering experiences and discourses from language communities across the globe. Building on this work, a socialization phase is being developed in 2026 to foster collective reflection with stakeholders from the Basque language field and other social movements in the Basque Country. In the final phase of the process, an international congress will take place in September 2026, bringing together language communities from around the world and placing discourses on language revitalization at the center.
The development of the project and its international scope have been made possible thanks to the support of partner institutions. Specifically, the initiative has been supported by the Basque Agency for Cooperation and Solidarity of the Basque Government, Beasain Town Council, Bilbao City Council, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the Basque Cultural Institute (Euskal Kultur Erakundea), the Department of Culture and Language Policy of the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, and the Government of Navarre. Thanks to this institutional support, BIHAR is helping to promote international dialogue on minoritized languages and to strengthen networks among communities.
