The UNESCO National Commission for Zimbabwe on 20 March 2024 appointed seasoned educationist, Professor Wiseman Magwa who is a Language Professor at the Midlands State University to be Zimbabwe’s focal person on the Global Task Force (GTF) for indigenous languages.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 18 December 2019, set aside the period 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages and invited UNESCO to serve as the lead agency for the international decade.
Subsequently, an international governance mechanism called Global Task Force (GTF) was established to provide strategic direction and oversight in the planning, implementation and monitoring of progress made towards the attainment of the objectives of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL).
The GTF as an international governance mechanism ensures equitable participation of all stakeholders in the International Decade and provides advice and guidance on planning and implementation of the Global Action Plan.
The Task Force has a Steering Committee made up of nineteen (19) representatives from UNESCO Member States.
The Steering Committee is therefore a part of the GTF which provides strategic direction and guidance to the organization of IDIL 2022-2032.
Following the rotation principle among the members of the Steering Committee members are only appointed for a tenure lasting three (3) years.
Zimbabwe as a member of the Steering Committee for the current tenure of three years has appointed Professor Magwa to represent the country as a language expert and focal person in the GTF Steering Committee which has a responsibility to advise at the global level issues to do with goals, objectives and desired outcomes and outputs of the International Decade.
Simply put, the Global Task Force provides strategic direction and oversight in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the Global Action Plan for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Professor Magwa is the former Executive Director of the Midlands State University National Language Institute and former Vice Chancellor of the Reformed Church University. He is currently the National Spokesperson and Board Member of the Research Council of Zimbabwe (RCZ) and a member of the National Language Advisory Committee (NALAC).
Magwa has published extensively with a total of 30 books and 102 published articles in journals, magazines and newspapers.
