# International Organisation for the Russian Language

The International Organisation for the Russian Language (IORL; Russian: Международная организация по русскому языку, romanized: Mezhdunarodnaya organizatsiya po russkomu yazyku, МОРЯ), officially known as the International Organisation for the Support and Promotion of the Russian Language (Russian: Международная организация по поддержке и продвижению русского языка, romanized: Mezhdunarodnaya organizatsiya po podderzhke i prodvizheniyu russkogo yazyka), is an intergovernmental body focused on the advancement and preservation of the Russian language as an essential medium of communication, cultural heritage, and scientific knowledge. Created under the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the decision for its establishment was made at the Council of Heads of State of the CIS meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 14 October 2022, following an initiative by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Functioning as an independent entity with international legal personality, the IORL is headquartered in Sochi, Russia. Its core objective is to reinforce the global standing of Russian by fostering collaboration with educational, cultural, and scientific institutions across CIS member states. The organisation aims to enhance Russian-language education, support translation initiatives, and facilitate cultural and academic exchange, ensuring continued relevance of Russian as a language of international dialogue.
The IORL will actively engage in humanitarian and cultural projects, promote the translation of literary and scientific works to and from Russian, and organise conferences, exhibitions, and educational programmes on an international scale. As a key platform for cooperation, it seeks to strengthen and extend the influence of Russian, particularly within the CIS and beyond, preserving its role as a language of international discourse.

## Concept and documents

According to the approved concept in 2022:
   After gaining independence in the CIS participant states, a natural process of the rise and development of the languages of the peoples of the Commonwealth began, which became an integral element of state-building and the consolidation of society.
   At the same time, an important unifying factor of the Commonwealth participant States has been and remains the common cultural, humanitarian and linguistic space, within the framework of which has developed an optimal balance between the harmonious development of the languages of the peoples of the Commonwealth and the Russian language, which is the working language of the CIS and contributes to the preservation of close cultural and humanitarian ties and the access of all CIS participant States to a huge layer of information in the field of culture, history, science and technology.
   At present, the Russian language is a serious consolidating factor in maintaining friendly relations between the CIS participant States. The forthcoming year of 2023 by the Decision of the CIS Council of Heads of State of 18 December 2020 is declared the Year of the Russian language as a language of interethnic communication in the CIS.
   The Russian language enjoys great popularity far beyond the Commonwealth. According to various data, it is spoken by more than 200 million citizens in different countries of the world.
   According to a study conducted in 2021 by the Pushkin Institute of the Russian Language, the number of speakers in the world ranks Russian eighth, its status in international organizations fourth, the number of websites on the Internet second, and the number of scientific publications in the international databases Web of Science and Scopus fifth.
   Being one of the official languages of the United Nations, the Russian language acts as an instrument of global communications, including in solving international and regional problems, adopting documents within the CIS, SCO, CICA, CSTO, EAEU and other structures.
The meeting of the expert group responsible for drafting and regulating the activities of the International Organization for the Support and Promotion of the Russian Language (IORL) took place on 13–14 July 2023 at the CIS headquarters. It was attended by representatives from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the CIS Executive Committee. During this meeting, amendments to the proposed documents concerning the organization's formation and operations were discussed. This reflects ongoing efforts to establish a framework for promoting and preserving the Russian language within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

## Signing

On 13 October 2023, the Council of Heads of State of the CIS signed the Treaty establishing the International Organisation for the Russian Language and adopted the Statement on Support and Promotion of Russian as a Language of Interethnic Communication.
The organisation's primary goals include fostering relations based on friendship, mutual understanding, and cooperation between member states, with a focus on promoting Russian as a tool for interstate communication. This includes facilitating access to global knowledge databases in culture, literature, and history, and reinforcing Russian's status as an official and working language in international and regional organisations. The organisation will also work on improving education in Russian, training experts in Russian language and literature, and creating a pool of specialists in these fields. Its activities will include organising international scientific conferences, book exhibitions, dictations on the Russian language, and exchanging experiences on textbooks and teaching aids.
In the statement supporting Russian as a language of interethnic communication, the Council of Heads of State of the CIS emphasised its importance for strengthening the common cultural and humanitarian space among member states. The statement highlights Russian’s role as one of the official languages of the United Nations and other international organisations. It reaffirms commitment to the use of Russian in international communication and rejects linguistic discrimination. The statement calls for its communication to the United Nations and other international organisations.