With India's support for Hindi's use, language retains 'non-official status' at UN
United Nations, Oct 9
With India voluntarily supporting the use of Hindi by the UN's Department of Global Communications, the language continues to retain a non-official language status, according to India's Permanent Representative P Harish.
"In the recently adopted multilingualism resolution, Hindi has continued to retain a non-official language status on account of DGC's transmission of news and social media in this language", he said on Thursday at the observance of Hindi Divas here.
"India has voluntarily supported the Hindi at UN project, which makes UN news and information available to Hindi-speaking audiences worldwide", he said.
The multilingual resolution co-sponsored by Andorra and adopted last month by the General Assembly "recognises the cultural, political and diplomatic importance of non-official languages, for representativeness and effective participation in the work of the United Nations, reaffirming that any representative may deliver in non-official languages".
"India has consistently supported multilingualism at the United Nations and has co-sponsored resolutions on this subject", Harish said.
Quoting Home Minister Amit Shah, he said, "language is most meaningful when it connects rather than divides the people and their culture".
He noted that Hindi is "the third largest spoken language in the world" and the "language's reach also extends beyond the borders of India" by becoming "an important vehicle for sharing India's ideas, stories, and cultural heritage globally".
"Our diaspora, literature, cinema, and digital platforms have helped carry the language to audiences across the world", he added.
Joan Forner Rovira, the permanent representative of Andorra, which sponsored the multilingualism resolution, said, "Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations calls upon us to promote international cooperation and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms".
"Language is essential to making that vision a reality", he said of his multilingual country's backing for the resolution.
"Within the United Nations, language is one of our most important tools of diplomacy", he added.
BJP MP C P Joshi said, "Today, Hindi is carving a niche for itself across the globe, extending far beyond India's borders".
He said the UNDGC and India made a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2018 to transmit United Nations news in Hindi with voluntary contributions by New Delhi.
Last year, the MOU was renewed for five more years, he said.
Joshi said, "India is a multilingual and multicultural civilisation; all languages and dialects constitute our collective heritage".
"Hindi is a vital part of this rich linguistic family and ranks among the most widely spoken and understood languages in the world", he said.
HM Amit Shah asserted "encouraged learning one additional Indian language, linking it to the spirit of "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (one India, great India)".
— IANS
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