English, along with French, is one of the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and one of the Organization’s six official languages.

English Language Day at the UN is celebrated on 23 April, the date traditionally observed as both the birthday and date of death of William Shakespeare.

Language Days at the UN aim to entertain as well as inform, 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. 

The purpose of the UN’s language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as 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.

The days are as follows:

• Arabic (18 December)
• Chinese (20 April)
• English (23 April) -> Programme of events for 2018
• French (20 March)
• Russian (6 June)
• Spanish (23 April)

So let me wish a Happy English Language Day to all readers! 🙂

PS Do check out the “Multimedia” and “Resources” tabs at the top of the English Language Day webpage.