On March 20, the UN celebrates French Language Day

Language Days at the United Nations were introduced in 2010  to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity.

The UN celebrates six “Language Days” each year, dedicated to the six official languages ​​of the United Nations, which are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.  

These days are an opportunity to raise awareness among the international community of the history, culture and use of each of these languages.

The date of French Language Day was chosen symbolically in reference to March 20, 1970, which marks the creation of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), which became the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) .

Multilingualism, more fundamental than ever

To emerge from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and build back better, we will need to continue to adopt an approach mobilizing all components of societies, all public authorities and the entire world in a spirit of compassion and solidarity. . An essential factor in harmonious communication between peoples, multilingualism is more than ever of particular importance for the UN because it promotes tolerance and ensures the effective participation of all in the Organization’s work process.

“The Francophonie of the future”

The date of March 20 is recognized by the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) as International Francophonie Day. The United Nations regularly cooperates with the OIF and its Member States in the spirit of the provisions of the  resolutions on cooperation with the OIF  adopted periodically by the General Assembly. In 2023, the OIF wishes to mark the celebrations of the International Day of La Francophonie under the theme “321 million French speakers, billions of cultural content” .

On the occasion of French Language Day at the UN, consult the latest issue of the “Dossiers Phares” series from the Dag Hammarksjöld Library of the United Nations. The publication, dedicated to multilingualism at the UN, provides a historical overview of the linguistic arrangements of the Organization and explains how multilingualism evolved from a founding principle to that of a fundamental value of the UN.