How Many Languages are Spoken at UNHQ?
How
many languages are spoken at Headquarters? Participate in the campaign!
As
part of the activities to celebrate the 2008
International Year of Languages, the Language and Communications Programme
is launching the How Many Languages are spoken at UNHQ? campaign.
Based
on the number staff members at HQ, the number of permanent missions in New York and data from
other studies in multilingualism, the Learning Section estimates that at least 350 languages are spoken at
Headquarters. This campaign aims to more accurately calculate and document
the number of language actually spoken at UNHQ.
The
campaign kicks off with an event on Wednesday, 18 June in the Secretariat Lobby
collecting linguistic information from UN staff members, mission diplomats and
staff.
You
can also participate by printing out this form, completing it and returning
it to Eva Garcia (S-606C), garcia25@un.org:
The campaign aims to raise awareness of language diversity at the UNHQ, bring
internal attention to the richness of culture varieties in the Organization as
well as draw international attention to the linguistic diversity in
multilateral organizations.
The
results of the campaign will be displayed in various formats in the Secretariat
lobby in September.
On
16 May 2007, the General Assembly proclaimed 2008 as International Year of
Languages. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) launched the year-long celebration on 21 February 2008 under the
general slogan: “Languages matter”.
The
Language and Communications Programme has the mandate to implement the
declaration within the UN Secretariat to promote multilingualism and the
importance of language diversity in the work of the Organization.
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