Lyubov Ginzburg is an editorial assistant at the UN Chronicle, Outreach Division, Department of Global Communications, United Nations.

When Pushkin Comes to the Rescue: Multilingualism as a Principle for Harmonious Cooperation

Monument to A.S. Pushkin by M.K. Anikushin. Installed in 1959. Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation. oraswet / pixabay
Winner of the 2018 Pushkin poetry translation competition, Kaiss Jarkass, UN Arabic translation service. Russian language program. UN Secretariat. New York, 2018. © Kaiss Jarkass.

This multilingual dedication to the genius of Russian literature marks Russian Language Day 2021, revealing the hope that Pushkin’s legacy will continue to bring people and nations together, while increasing interest in Russian history and culture. 

 

The Virus of Racism: An Enduring Dilemma for Humanity

In 1950, Ralph J. Bunche, then Director of the Trusteeship Division of the United Nations Secretariat, was named Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in recognition of his work as Acting United Nations Mediator in Palestine. New York, 1 September 1950. UN Photo
Ralph J. Bunche (left) in St. Louis, September 1939, when he was working with Gunnar Myrdal on American Dilemma.
On 15 September 1980, “Peace Form One”, a 50-foot steel obelisk designed by Daniel La Rue Johnson, was dedicated to the memory of Ralph Bunche in the park located opposite UN Headquarters that bears his name. New York. UN Photo/Ramzy Abushady

As is often the case, dedicated humanitarians, their legacies, intentions and influences are destined to converge at some point.

Ninety-Eight-Year-Old 'Corona Warrior' Rises to the Challenge

Mrs. Gurdev Kaur at her sewing machine, stitching masks for people in need. Moga, Punjab, India. April 2020. Photo by Ms. Raman Gill.
Mrs. Gurdev Kaur and her late husband Gurdial Singh Dhaliwal. Moga, Punjab, India. Undated. Courtesy of Kaur Dhaliwal family.
Original receipt from the Singer Sewing Machine Company, Inc., Kuala Lumpur, 1937. Courtesy of Kaur Dhaliwal family.

At a time when, in the words of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, "we need every ounce of solidarity", the story of 98-year-old Gurdev Kaur Dhaliwal of Moga, who stitches masks for the poor, is the ultimate manifestation of unity of purpose.