In 2023, the use of local or official languages in cluster meetings remained a key consideration for enhancing accessibility and inclusivity. At the national level, 76 per cent of clusters reported using a local or official language of the country of operation, showing a slight increase from 74 per cent in 2022. At the subnational level, 89 per cent of clusters used an official language of the country of operation, marking an increase compared to 86 per cent in 2022. In terms of specific languages used in national-level clusters, French was the most widely used official language, reported by 34 per cent of clusters, followed by English (18 per cent), Spanish (11 per cent), and Arabic (9 per cent).
Use of local or official languages of the country of operation in cluster coordination – 2021 to 2023
Thirty-four per cent of clusters had translation capacity in 2023, which was a slight reduction from 2022 (38 per cent) but still above the level of 2021 (22 per cent). At the subnational level, 25 per cent of clusters provided translation services in 2023, when an official language was not used. The translation of meeting minutes or materials, or the presence of an interpreter during meetings reflect efforts to ensure that all participants can effectively engage in the coordination process.
References
- English, French and Spanish are an official language in many countries of operation. Options selected were whether a language was used “nearly always”, “usually”, “about half the time”, “occasionally” and “hardly ever”.