The United Nations(UN)’s Spanish Language day is annually observed across the globe on 23rd April to celebrate and create awareness about the history culture and use of Spanish.
The day also promotes the use of Spanish, one of the 6 official languages of the UN, among the staff members of the UN.
- The Spanish Language Day (23rd April) also marks the death anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes, one of the most important and celebrated figures in Spanish literature.
Background:
i.In 2010, the United Nations Department of Global Communications established six language days (including the Spanish Language Day) to celebrate the 6 official languages of the UN.
ii.The UN Spanish Language Day was established as a part of this initiative toward the UN’s multilingual commitment.
UN’s effort to promote Spanish:
i.Around 20 Spanish-speaking Member States of the UN founded a team “Grupo de Amigos del Español” in 2013 to coordinate and carry out activities aimed at promoting the use and dissemination of Spanish in the UN work.
ii.The group was created due to the growing interest of Spanish-speaking peoples in the mission of the United Nations.
Key Points:
i.Spanish is the 2nd language in the world by a number of native speakers (Chinese has the highest number of native speakers) and Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country on the planet.
ii.Spanish is the 3rd most popular language on the Internet, and it ranks 2nd on social networks.
