The United Nations (UN)s Spanish Language Day is observed annually on 23 April, to promote and appreciate multi-linguism and the significance of Spanish culture in the world, as well as to promote the use of Spanish language, one of the six official languages among the staff of the UN.
The Spanish Language day on 23rd April also marks the death anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a renowned Spanish writer who is widely regarded as one of the world’s preeminent novelists.
Background:
i. In 2010, the United Nations Department of Global Communications established 6 language days (including Spanish) to celebrate the 6 official languages of the UN.
ii. The UN Spanish Language Day was originally observed on October 12, coinciding with the National Day of Spain, which commemorates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival to the Americas tracing the beginning of the spread of the Spanish language and culture.
iii. Later, the day was changed to 23 April, to pay tribute to Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who died on 22 April 1616.
Note:
- The 6 official UN languages are – Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French, English and Russian.
- UN English Day is also observed annually on 23 April.
Spanish in United Nation:
i.On 1 February 1946, United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution 2 (I) and established Chinese, French, English, Russian and Spanish as official languages, and English and French as working languages.
ii. In 1948, Spanish was resolved as the working language of the UNGA and later in 1969, added Spanish as a working language of the Security Council.
Group of Friends of Spanish:
i. A team named”Group of Friends of Spanish”, founded in 2013 by the 20 Spanish-speaking Member States 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 United Nations mission.
Key Points:
i. Spanish language is described as a mixture of crude Latin and local languages with three different stages of development.
ii. Spanish is the world’s second-most spoken native language after Chinese.
iii. Mexico is the country that has the most Spanish speakers in the world, and the United States of America (USA) stands second.
About United Nation (UN):
Secretary-General– António Guterres
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
Established in– 1945
