Multilingualism and the UN
An essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples, multilingualism is of particular importance to the United Nations. By promoting tolerance, multilingualism ensures effective and increased participation of all in the Organization¡¯s work, as well as greater effectiveness, better outcomes and more involvement.
The balance among the six official languages has been an ongoing concern of the Secretary-General. From 1946 to the present, numerous activities have been undertaken to promote the use of the official languages, and to ensure that the United Nations, its goals and actions, are understood by the widest possible public.
In its resolution of 6 December 1999 (), the General Assembly invited the appointment of a senior Secretariat official to serve as coordinator of questions relating to multilingualism.
Language days at the UN
English Language Day is the result of a 2010 initiative by the UN's Department of Global Communications, establishing language days for each of the Organization's six official languages. The purpose of the UN's language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, and to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization.
Under the initiative, UN duty stations around the world celebrate six separate days, each dedicated to one of the Organization's six official languages. With the goal of increasing awareness and respect for the history, culture and achievements of each of the six working languages among the UN community, Language Days at the UN aim to entertain, as well as to inform.
Six Language Days:
Multilingualism is a Core Value of the United Nations - UN Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres
Multilingualism and the United Nations - One world, many languages