Official languages of the United Nations

These languages are used at meetings of various UN organs, particularly the General Assembly (Article 51 of its Rules of Procedure), the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council (Article 41 of its Rules of Procedure). Each representative of a country may speak in any one of these six languages or may speak in any language and provide interpretation into one of the six official languages. The UN provides simultaneous interpretation from any official language into the other five official languages, via the United Nations Interpretation Service.

The six official languages are also used for the dissemination of official documents. Generally, the texts in each of the six languages are equally authoritative. Most UN councils use all six languages as official and working languages; however, as of 2023 the United Nations Secretariat uses only two working languages: English and French.{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/sg/en/multilingualism/index.shtml |title=Multilingualism |publisher=United Nations |access-date=2019-02-25 |archive-date=26 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226172734/https://www.un.org/sg/en/multilingualism/index.shtml |url-status=live }}

The six official languages spoken at the UN are the first or second language of 2.8 billion people on the planet, less than half of the world population. The six languages are official languages in almost two-thirds of United Nations member states (over 120 states).{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}

File:Detailed SVG map of the Anglophone world.svg|English

File:Detailed SVG map of the Francophone world.svg|French

File:Detailed SVG map of the Hispanophone world.svg|Spanish

File:Detailed SVG map of the Russophone world.svg|Russian

File:Detailed SVG map of the Sinophone world.svg|Mandarin

File:Detailed SVG map of the Arabophone world.svg|Arabic

File:Languages of UN combined world map.jpg|Languages Combined

In 1920, the League of Nations was one of the first international institutions to promote the concept of international official languages to foster communication and spur global diplomacy in the aftermath of the brutality of World War I. The League of Nations selected English, French, and Spanish as official languages with English and French being the working languages. English and French were chosen due to the global reach of the British Empire and the French Empire. Spanish was selected due to the large number of first-language speakers in Latin America and the former Spanish Empire. There was an effort to select Esperanto as an additional language of the League, but that was rejected.{{cite web |id=UN Doc ID A/65/488 |url= https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2F65%2F488&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop&LangRequested=False|title=League of Nations |publisher=United Nations Secretary-General |date=2010-10-04 |access-date=2024-07-27 |archive-date=16 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416113407/https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2F65%2F488&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop&LangRequested=False |url-status=live }}

In the 1940s, as the conclusion of World War II was nearing, the Allies held a multitude of conferences, including the London Declaration, the Arcadia Conference, the Cairo Conference, the Tehran Conference, the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference. These conferences were meant to coordinate and plan the post-war world, including how to promote world peace in the aftermath of the war, how to facilitate global communication through an international auxiliary language (such as Esperanto) or an existing group of languages, and how to handle the decolonization of Africa and Asia. Additionally, these conferences led to the establishment of the United Nations as the successor of the League of Nations.

In 1945, this culminated in the Charter of the UN, its constituent document signed at the San Francisco Conference, which did not expressly provide for official languages. The Charter was initially enacted in five languages (English, French, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish). The United Nations selected these original five languages because in addition to being utilized by the League of Nations, they were also the de facto official languages of the major Allied nations, including the Big Four: the British Empire, the United States, the Soviet Union and the Republic of China plus French which was the language of France and the French colonies. These nations: the UK, the US, the USSR, Republic of China, and France, became the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council. Unofficially, the UN held its operations in English and French; however, the Charter provided (in Article 111) that the five languages be equally authoritative.[https://legal.un.org/repertory/art111.shtml] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109195740/http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F262%28III%29|date=9 January 2015}}

In 1946, the first session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted rules of procedure concerning languages that purported to apply to "all the organs of the United Nations, other than the International Court of Justice", formally setting out five (5) official languages and two (2) working languages (English and French).[https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/2(I) General Assembly Resolution 2 (I)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109134851/http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F2%28I%29 |date=9 January 2015 }} Rules of Procedure Concerning Languages, 1 February 1946.

The following year, the second session of the General Assembly adopted permanent rules of procedure, Resolution 173 (II). The part of those rules relating to language closely followed the 1946 rules, except that the 1947 rules did not purport to apply to other UN organs, just the General Assembly.{{cite web |page=4 |url=http://legal.un.org/ilc/documentation/english/a_cn4_187.pdf |year=1966 |volume=2 |title=Preparation of Multilingual Treaties: Memorandum by the Secretariat |access-date=2013-10-21 |archive-date=17 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017191239/http://legal.un.org/ilc/documentation/english/a_cn4_187.pdf |url-status=live }} Meanwhile, a proposal had been in the works to add Spanish as a third working language in addition to English and French. This was adopted in Resolution 262 (III), passed on 11 December 1948.[https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/262(III) Resolution 262 (III)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109195740/http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F262%28III%29 |date=9 January 2015 }}

In 1968, Russian was added as a working language of the General Assembly so that, of the GA's five official languages, four (all but Mandarin) were working.{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19681218&id=NskyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3900,651877 |title=Russian to be included as UN working language |date=1968-12-18 |access-date=2010-01-25 |work=Ottawa Citizen |author=Robert Reford |archive-date=30 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130082647/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19681218&id=NskyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y-0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3900,651877 |url-status=live }}[https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/2479(XXIII) Resolution 2479 (XXIII)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713160807/http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F2479%28XXIII%29 |date=13 July 2015 }} Inclusion of Russian among the working languages of the General Assembly (amendment to rule 51 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly) and question of including Russian and Spanish among the working languages of the Security Council (21 December 1968)

In 1973, the General Assembly made Mandarin a working language and switched to using simplified Chinese characters.[http://www.shanghaidaily.com/editor/article.asp?id=200]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330103818/http://www.shanghaidaily.com/editor/article.asp?id=200|date=March 30, 2012}} They also added Arabic as both an official language and working language of the GA. Thus all six official languages were also working languages. Arabic was made an official and working language of "the General Assembly and its Main Committees", whereas the other five languages had status in all GA committees and subcommittees (not just the main committees). The Arab members of the UN had agreed to pay the costs of implementing the resolution, for three years.[https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a/res/3189(XXVIII) Resolution 3189 (XXVIII)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713160811/http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a%2Fres%2F3189%28XXVIII%29 |date=13 July 2015 }} Inclusion of Mandarin among the working languages of the General Assembly and the Security Council (18 December 1973)[https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a/res/3190(XXVIII) Resolution 3190 (XXVIII)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713160841/http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a%2Fres%2F3190%28XXVIII%29 |date=13 July 2015 }} Inclusion of Arabic among the official and the working languages of the General Assembly and its Main Committees (18 December 1973)[https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a/res/3191(XXVIII) Resolution 3191 (XXVIII)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713160842/http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a%2Fres%2F3191%28XXVIII%29 |date=13 July 2015 }} Inclusion of Mandarin among the working languages of the General Assembly, its committees and its subcommittees and inclusion of Arabic among the official and the working languages of the General Assembly and its Main Committees: amendments to rules 51 to 59 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly

In 1980, the General Assembly got rid of this final distinction, making Arabic an official and working language of all its committees and subcommittees, as of 1 January 1982. At the same time, the GA requested the Security Council to include Arabic among its official and working languages, and the Economic and Social Council to include Arabic among its official languages, by 1 January 1983.[https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/35/a35r219e.pdf Resolution 35/219] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034745/http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/35/a35r219e.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }} Use of Arabic in the subsidiary organs of the General Assembly, in the Security Council and in the Economic and Social Council: amendments to rules 51, 52, 54 and 56 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly (17 December 1980).

As of 1983, the Security Council (like the General Assembly) recognized six official and working languages: Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish.[https://www.un.org/Docs/sc/scrules.htm Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Security Council] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510224150/http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/scrules.htm |date=10 May 2012 }} Rules 41 to 47.

In the Economic and Social Council, as of 1992, there were six official languages (Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish) of which three were working languages (English, French, and Spanish).[https://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/about/pdf/rules.pdf Rules of Procedure of the Economic and Social Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331003602/http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/about/pdf/rules.pdf |date=31 March 2012 }} rules 32 to 35. Later, Arabic, Mandarin, and Russian were added as working languages in the Economic and Social Council.[https://www.un.org/en/aboutun/languages.shtml] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214205555/http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/languages.shtml|date=14 February 2015}}

In 2001, the United Nations drew criticism for relying too heavily on English, and not enough on the other five official languages and Spanish-speaking member nations formally brought this to the attention of the secretary-general.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1399761.stm |title=Plea to UN: 'More Spanish please' |date=2001-06-21 |access-date=2010-01-25 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=7 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507215750/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1399761.stm |url-status=live }} Additionally, there was a movement to consider adding official languages or creating a grouping of semi-official languages for languages with over 50 million speakers. This did not happen. Secretary General Kofi Annan responded to these criticisms that full parity of the six official languages was unachievable within current budgetary restraints, but he nevertheless attached great importance to improving the linguistic balance and worked to increase parity between the existing 6 official languages.{{cite web |title=Letter dated 18 June 2001 |url=https://www.un.org/documents/ga/docs/56/a56176.pdf |date=2001-06-18 |access-date=2010-01-26 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305024703/http://www.un.org/documents/ga/docs/56/a56176.pdf |url-status=live }}

On 8 June 2007,[http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-61-266.pdf Resolution A/RES/61/266] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715041928/http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-61-266.pdf |date=15 July 2010 }} Multilingualism 8 June 2007 resolutions concerning human resources management at the UN, the General Assembly had emphasized "the paramount importance of the equality of the six official languages of the United Nations" and requested that the secretary-general "ensure that vacancy announcements specified the need for either of the working languages of the Secretariat, unless the functions of the post required a specific working language".

In 2008 and 2009, resolutions of the General Assembly have urged the Secretariat to respect the parity of the six official languages, especially in the dissemination of public information.[https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/63/100%20A-B&Lang=E Resolution 63/100] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114235019/http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2FRES%2F63%2F100%20A-B&Lang=E |date=14 January 2014 }} Questions relating to information (5 December 2008).[https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a/res/63/306 Resolution 63/306] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403101347/http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a%2Fres%2F63%2F306 |date=3 April 2015 }} Multilingualism (9 September 2009).

The secretary-general's most recent report on multilingualism was issued on 4 October 2010.{{cite web |id=UN Doc ID A/65/488 |url=https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/65/488 |title=Multilingualism |publisher=United Nations Secretary-General |date=2010-10-04 |access-date=2011-07-26 |archive-date=27 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227111854/https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2F65%2F488 |url-status=live }} In response, on 19 July 2011, the General Assembly adopted Resolution No. A/RES/65/311 on multilingualism, calling on the secretary-general, once again, to ensure that all six official languages are given equally favourable working conditions and resources. The resolution noted with concern that the multilingual development of the UN website had improved at a much slower rate than expected.{{cite press release |id=UN Doc ID GA/11116 |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/ga11116.doc.htm |publisher=UN Department of Public Information |title=Adopting Resolution on Multilingualism, General Assembly Emphasises Importance of Equality Among Six Official United Nations Languages |date=2011-07-19 |access-date=2011-07-26 |archive-date=16 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116073347/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/ga11116.doc.htm |url-status=live }} The drive to improve parity and focus on multilingualism continued throughout the 2010s and led to the United Nations news and media website (https://news.un.org/en/) to begin including translations of its content into Hindi, Portuguese, and Swahili in 2018.

In 2020, UN Portuguese Language Day was created in addition to the UN Language Day's associated with the six official languages.{{Cite web |title=World Portuguese Language Day |url=https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/portuguese-language-day |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507070801/https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/portuguese-language-day |archive-date=7 May 2020 |access-date=2020-05-05 |website=unesco.org |language=en}}

In June 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on multilingualism that encouraged UN organizations to disseminate important communication and messages in official as well as non-official languages, similar to the semi-official policies proposed to Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon. These languages included Bengali, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Swahili, and Urdu and the GA recognizes the efforts of the UN to use non-official languages too.[https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/un-mentions-hindi-other-sub-continental-languages-for-first-time-403078] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214205555/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/un-mentions-hindi-other-sub-continental-languages-for-first-time-403078|date=14 February 2015}}

In July 2022, UN Swahili Language Day was created.{{Cite web |title=World Kiswahili Language Day |url=https://www.uonbi.ac.ke/news/un-declares-july-7-world-kiswahili-language-day |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707000000/https://www.uonbi.ac.ke/news/un-declares-july-7-world-kiswahili-language-day |archive-date=7 July 2022 |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=unesco.org |language=en}} [https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july-2022/kiswahili-language-speaks-both-past-and-present Alt URL] Portuguese and Swahili are the only non-official UN languages to have a UN Language Day.

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id:NWUN value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a a language that is an official language but NOT a working language of the United Nations

id:UNnewsLangDay value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.730) # Use this color to denote a language that is included on the UN News website (https://news.un.org/en/) and has a UN Official Language day dedicated to it

id:UNnewsNoLangDay value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a language that is included on the UN News website (https://news.un.org/en/) but does NOT have a UN Official Language day dedicated to it

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bar:7 color:UNnewsNoLangDay from:2018 till:2020 text:Portuguese (2018–present)

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bar:8 color:UNnewsNoLangDay from:2018 till:2022 text:Swahili (2018–present)

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As of June 2018, the media branch of the United Nations, UN News (https://news.un.org), includes website translations into Hindi, Portuguese, and Swahili in addition to the 6 official languages.{{cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2009/12/324362-top-un-official-stresses-need-internet-multilingualism-bridge-digital-divide|title=Top UN official stresses need for Internet multilingualism to bridge digital divide|date=14 December 2009|access-date=13 June 2018|archive-date=21 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821192500/https://news.un.org/en/story/2009/12/324362-top-un-official-stresses-need-internet-multilingualism-bridge-digital-divide|url-status=live}} Other UN documents and websites are also translated into Bangla, French Creole, Indonesian, Malay, Turkish, and Urdu, but not on an official or consistent basis.

While there are no formal proposals before the General Assembly to add another official language,{{cite web |publisher=United Nations |url=http://www.un.org/Depts/DGACM/faqs.shtml |title=Department for General Assembly and Conference Management: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) |access-date=2019-02-25 |archive-date=26 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111224/http://www.un.org/Depts/DGACM/faqs.shtml |url-status=live }} various individuals and states have informally raised the possibility of adding a new official language to accommodate more of the world's population. It has been noted that the six official languages are mostly spoken in the Northern Hemisphere and therefore many of the proposed languages are spoken in the Southern Hemisphere. Similar to the path Arabic took to become an official language where Arab countries paid for the first few years of UN translation, it is expected that member states (i.e. Brazil for Portuguese, India for Hindi, Tanzania and Kenya for Swahili etc, would need to pay for the translation for the first few years before the UN would cover translation costs.

As of 2018, the media branch of the United Nations, UN News (https://news.un.org/),{{Cite web |url=https://news.un.org/ |title=Front {{pipe}} UN News |access-date=13 June 2018 |archive-date=8 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180608091856/https://news.un.org/ |url-status=live }} added translations into Portuguese, Swahili, and Hindi, and as of 2022 added translations into Urdu in addition to the existing 6 official languages. Other languages, such as Turkish, Persian, and Esperanto, have been formally or informally proposed in the past but were not added. The following languages are potential candidates or future candidates for expanding the Official languages of the UN, due to their translations being available on the global UN News site, and the creation of UN Portuguese Language Day and UN Swahili Language Day.

Most of the proposed languages are world languages and rank as Level 0 (International) or Level 1 (Central) in the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS) and tend to be current or former lingua francas in their region that are either supra-regional or supercentral according to the global language system theory.

Bengali is the fifth most spoken native language in the world, with over 242 million native speakers, after Mandarin, Spanish, English and Hindi and additional 43 million speak it as a second language.{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=What are the top 200 most spoken languages? |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/insights/ethnologue200/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=Ethnologue}}{{cite web| url=http://www.ethnologue.org/ethno_docs/distribution.asp?by=size| title=Ethnologue| publisher=SIL International| access-date=22 July 2012| archive-date=7 August 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807023956/http://www.ethnologue.org/ethno_docs/distribution.asp?by=size| url-status=live}} In April 2009, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina argued in front of the United Nations General Assembly that the Bengali language should be made one of the official languages of the UN. This was backed by a resolution adopted unanimously by the assembly of the Indian state of West Bengal in December.{{cite news|title=Bengali 'should be UN language'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8425744.stm|publisher=BBC News|access-date=2 January 2014|archive-date=3 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403040151/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8425744.stm|url-status=live}}

Hindi is the fourth most spoken native language in the world, after Mandarin, Spanish, and English.Mikael Parkvall, "Världens 100 största språk 2007" (The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007), in Nationalencyklopedin. Asterisks mark the

[https://web.archive.org/web/20121111051518/http://www.ne.se/spr%C3%A5k/v%C3%A4rldens-100-st%C3%B6rsta-spr%C3%A5k-2010 2010 estimates] for the top dozen languages. It is one of the official languages of India and Fiji and its related dialects are still being spoken by small minorities in Nepal. It is mutually intelligible to a high degree with Urdu which is official and spoken in Pakistan and together they are often considered the same language, referred to as Hindustani or Hindi–Urdu. Although very similar verbally, they do have different written scripts; Hindi is written in the Devanagari script and Urdu is written in the Nastaʿlīq script. Hindi has more than 550 million speakers in India alone, of whom 422 million are native, 98.2 million are second language speakers, and 31.2 million are third language speakers.{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement5.aspx|title=Census of India: Comparative speaker's strength of Scheduled Languages-1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001|last=ORGI|access-date=20 December 2016|archive-date=6 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206044024/http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement5.aspx|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indiaspeak-English-is-our-2nd-language/articleshow/5680962.cms|title=Indiaspeak: English is our 2nd language|website=The Times of India|date=14 March 2010 |access-date=20 December 2016|archive-date=24 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324145827/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indiaspeak-English-is-our-2nd-language/articleshow/5680962.cms|url-status=live}} Hindi is the lingua franca of the northern part of India, along with Pakistan (as Urdu), with its importance as a global language increasing day by day.{{cite web|url=https://www.siasat.com/news/hindi-varanasi-norwegians-whats-sambandh-982592/|title=Hindi. Varanasi. Norwegians. What's the sambandh?|date=5 July 2016|publisher=The Siasat Daily|access-date=23 August 2019|archive-date=21 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221233423/http://www.siasat.com/news/hindi-varanasi-norwegians-whats-sambandh-982592/|url-status=live}}

In 2007, it was reported that the government of India would "make immediate diplomatic moves to seek the status of an official language for Hindi at the United Nations".{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/holnus/001200707150321.htm |title=Hindi at UN: India to take action to get official status |date=2007-07-15 |access-date=2010-01-25 |work=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |archive-date=28 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928050038/http://www.hindu.com/holnus/001200707150321.htm |url-status=live }} According to a 2009 press release from its Ministry of External Affairs, the Government of India has been "working actively" to have Hindi recognized as an official language of the UN.{{cite web |url=http://indiacurrentaffairs.org/hindi-in-uno/ |date=2009-12-11 |access-date=2010-01-25 |title=Hindi in UNO |archive-date=13 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613133309/http://indiacurrentaffairs.org/hindi-in-uno/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://pibmumbai.gov.in/scripts/detail.asp?releaseId=E2009PR1426 |date=2009-12-10 |access-date=2010-01-25 |title=Government working actively for Hindi as official language of UN: S M Krishna |archive-date=29 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929012228/http://pibmumbai.gov.in/scripts/detail.asp?releaseId=E2009PR1426 |url-status=live }} In 2015, Nepal's Vice President Parmananda Jha stated his firm support for the inclusion of Hindi as an official language of the UN.{{cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/hindi-official-language-un-nepal-vice-president-2042199.html|title=Hindi should be an official language in the UN: Nepal Vice President|publisher=Firstpost|date=12 January 2015|access-date=23 August 2019|archive-date=5 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205221107/https://www.firstpost.com/world/hindi-official-language-un-nepal-vice-president-2042199.html|url-status=live}} The United Nations media site (https://news.un.org) already includes translations into Hindi.

Indonesian is the official and national language of Indonesia.{{cite wikisource |title=Article 36 of The 1945 Constitution of The Republic of Indonesia |wslink=Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia}} It is a standardized variety of Sumatran,{{cite book|author = Uri Tadmor |editor1= Yaron Matras |editor2=Jeanette Sakel |chapter= Grammatical borrowing in Indonesian |title= Grammatical Borrowing in Cross-Linguistic Perspective |date= 2008 |isbn = 978-3-11-019919-2 |publisher= Walter de Gruyter |page = 301 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Es4T018diPIC |language= en}} an Austronesian language that has been used as a lingua franca in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world, with over 280 million inhabitants, the majority of whom speak Indonesian, making it the largest language by number of speakers in Southeast Asia and one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.James Neil Sneddon. The Indonesian Language: Its History and Role in Modern Society. UNSW Press, 2004. According to Ethnologue (2025), Indonesian is the 10th most commonly spoken language.{{Ethnologue28|ind}} Indonesian is also prominent on the internet, with one estimate ranking it sixth by number of Internet users.{{cite web|url=http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm|title=Top Ten Internet Languages in the World - Internet Statistics|access-date=1 December 2020|archive-date=26 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426122721/http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm|url-status=live}} As part of the same Austronesian linguistic family, Indonesian is related to Filipino spoken in the Philippines.

The Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud) has increasingly promoted Indonesian as an international language, with one target aiming for official UN language status by 2045.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-22 |title=Bahasa Indonesia Ditargetkan Jadi Bahasa Resmi PBB di 2045 |url=https://www.medcom.id/pendidikan/news-pendidikan/PNgLRGPb-bahasa-indonesia-ditargetkan-jadi-bahasa-resmi-pbb-di-2045 |access-date=2022-09-30 |website=medcom.id |language=id}}

Persian is a pluricentric language spoken in Iran where it is known as Farsi, Afghanistan where it is known as Dari, and Tajikistan where it is known as Tajik as well as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, most areas of which have a Persianate history or are considered in the cultural sphere of Greater Iran. The main dialects of Persian, Dari and Tajik are generally considered mutually intelligibility. Classically originating from Achaemenid Empire and the Sassanian Empire, the Persian language and Iranian people have a rich cultural history of being at the interface of the Arabs, Turks, the Mughals and Desi peoples.

Spoken by over 127 million people{{cite web|title=Spread of the Persian language|url= https://www.worlddata.info/languages/persian.php}} (70 - 90 million L1 speakers and 30 - 50 million L2 speakers, Persian is the cultural language of Iran and is prominent in Central Asia.

Portuguese is the sixth most spoken language in the world. Many Lusophones have advocated for greater recognition of their language, which is widely spoken across four continents: Portugal (original place) in Europe; Brazil (the largest lusophone nation) in South America; Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe in Africa; Timor-Leste and Macau in Asia. It is an official language in nine countries and one autonomous territory.

In 2008, the President of Portugal announced that the then eight leaders of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) had agreed to take the necessary steps to make Portuguese an official language. The media branch of the UN, UN News (https://news.un.org) already includes translations into Portuguese.

Swahili is a lingua franca throughout eastern Africa and is especially prevalent in the African Great Lakes region. Swahili, known as Kiswahili by its speakers, is an official language of Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,Prins 1961 is an official language of the African Union and is officially recognized as a lingua franca of the East African Community.{{Cite web |url=http://www.eac.int/treaty/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=206&Itemid=331 |title=Development and Promotion of Extractive Industries and Mineral Value Addition |access-date=11 June 2018 |archive-date=21 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021151552/http://www.eac.int/treaty/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=206&Itemid=331 |url-status=live }} It is one of the most commonly spoken languages in Africa, is a compulsory subject in all Kenyan and Tanzanian schools and is increasingly being used in eastern Burundi.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

With between 150 and 200 million speakers, the Swahili lexicon is similar to that of other eastern Bantu languages such as Comorian, which have differing levels of mutual intelligibility. Swahili is already used unofficially in many UN organizations as the UN has an office in Nairobi (the United Nations Office at Nairobi), in addition to other major UN global offices in New York City, Vienna, and Geneva). The media branch of the UN, UN News, already includes translations into Swahili.

In September 2011, during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed a desire to see Turkish become an official UN language.{{cite news|url=http://www.aa.com.tr/en/component/content/article/127-ana-manset-haberleri-en/94584-erdogan-meets-un-sg-ban-ki-moon |publisher=Anadolu Agency |title=Erdogan meets U.N. SG Ban Ki-moon |date=2011-09-23 |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328220057/http://www.aa.com.tr/en/component/content/article/127-ana-manset-haberleri-en/94584-erdogan-meets-un-sg-ban-ki-moon |archive-date=28 March 2012 }}{{cite news |url=http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action;jsessionid=FC55448E4ACCF58132948390ECBF75B9?newsId=258612 |publisher=Sundays Zaman |title=Turkish emerges as candidate for official UN language |date=2011-10-02 |access-date=2012-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115063956/http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action;jsessionid=FC55448E4ACCF58132948390ECBF75B9?newsId=258612 |archive-date=15 November 2014 |url-status=dead }}

Urdu, the official language of Pakistan, is a standard of the pluricentric language known as Hindustani, or Hindi-Urdu, while Hindi is an official language of India. Urdu and Hindi share a common, predominantly Sanskrit- and Prakrit-derived, vocabulary base, phonology, syntax, and grammar, making them mutually intelligible during colloquial communication. Urdu has been described as a Persianised standard register of the Hindustani language. While formal Urdu draws literary, political, and technical vocabulary from Persian, formal Hindi draws these aspects from Sanskrit; consequently, the two languages' mutual intelligibility effectively decreases as the factor of formality increases. As of 2025, over 80 million speak Urdu as their first language while over 200 million people speak it as a second language. Including Urdu in addition to Hindi, and Bengali, as United Nations Official Languages would allow for greater coverage of South Asia. The media branch of the UN, UN News, already includes translations into Urdu.

In a 1999 resolution, the General Assembly requested the secretary-general to "appoint a senior Secretariat official as coordinator of questions relating to multilingualism throughout the Secretariat."[https://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/RES/54/64 Resolution 54/64] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604120552/http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A%2FRES%2F54%2F64 |date=4 June 2011 }} adopted 6 December 1999.

The first such coordinator was Federico Riesco of Chile, appointed on 6 September 2000.[https://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/56/656 Multilingualism: Report of the Secretary-General] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002191653/http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A%2F56%2F656 |date=2 October 2010 }} Doc. A/56/656, para. 4.{{cite web |url=http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2000/sga132.html |title=Secretary-General Appoints Assistant Secretary-General Federico Riesco Coordinator for Multilingualism |date=2000-09-08 |access-date=2010-01-30 |archive-date=2 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002004912/http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2000/sga132.html |url-status=live }}

Following Riesco's retirement, Miles Stoby of Guyana was appointed Coordinator for Multilingualism, effective 6 September 2001.

In 2003, Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Shashi Tharoor of India as Coordinator for Multilingualism. This responsibility was in addition to Tharoor's role as under-secretary-general for communications and public information, head of the Department of Public Information.{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/sga834.doc.htm |title=Secretary-General Appoints Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor Coordinator for Multilingualism |date=2003-03-31 |access-date=2010-01-25 |archive-date=9 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309165058/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/sga834.doc.htm |url-status=live }}[http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-54-64.pdf Resolution 54/64] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020083123/http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-54-64.pdf |date=20 October 2012 }} Multilingualism (6 December 1999).

The current Coordinator for Multilingualism is Catherine Pollard of Guyana.{{Cite press release |title=Secretary-General Appoints Under-Secretary-General Catherine Pollard of Guyana Coordinator for Multilingualism |date=2015-12-17 |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sga1619.doc.htm |access-date=2016-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721135010/http://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sga1619.doc.htm |archive-date=21 July 2017 |id=SG/A/1619 |url-status=live}} She replaces Kiyo Akasaka of Japan, who was also under-secretary-general for communications and public information.{{Cite press release |title=United Nations Information Centres Launch Redesigned Website Telling Organization's Story in 130 Languages |date=2008-10-24 |publisher=United Nations Information Service |url=http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2008/unisinf295.html |access-date=2010-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002004836/http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2008/unisinf295.html |archive-date=2 October 2010 |url-status=live}}{{Cite press release |title=Secretary-General Appoints Under-Secretary Kiyo Akasaka as Coordinator for Multilingualism |date=2008-05-29 |publisher=United Nations Department of Public Information |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sga1138.doc.htm |access-date=2010-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309165101/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sga1138.doc.htm |archive-date=9 March 2013 |id=Secretary-General SG/A/1138 |url-status=dead}}

{{See also|International Mother Language Day}}

In 2010, the UN's Department of Public Information announced an initiative of six "language days" to be observed throughout the year, one for each official language, with the goal of celebrating linguistic diversity and learning about the importance of cross-cultural communication.{{cite press release |id=UN Doc ID OBV/853 PI/1926 |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/obv853.doc.htm |date=2010-02-19 |access-date=2011-07-26 |title=Department of Public Information to Launch 'Language Days at the United Nations' |publisher=United Nations |archive-date=3 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303053938/http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/obv853.doc.htm |url-status=live }} In 2020 Portuguese Language Day was added and in 2022 Swahili Language Day was added. The days and their historical significance are:

• UN Arabic Language Day: 18 December (the date on which the United Nations General Assembly designated Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as the fourth official language of the United Nations in 1973).{{Cite web |date=2010-03-19 |title=First-ever French language day celebrated at UN |url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34136&Cr=multilingualism&Cr1=674 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103174243/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34136&Cr=multilingualism&Cr1=674 |archive-date=3 November 2012 |access-date=2011-07-26 |publisher=UN News Centre}}{{Cite web |title=Multilingualism |url=https://www.un.org/en/events/observances/multilingualism.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002221646/http://www.un.org/en/events/observances/multilingualism.shtml |archive-date=2 October 2011 |access-date=2011-07-26 |website=United Nations Observances}}
• UN Chinese Language Day: first celebrated 12 November;{{cite news |url=http://www.bjreview.com.cn/report/txt/2010-11/15/content_312092.htm |publisher=Beijing Review |author=Chen Wen |title=UN Celebrates First Chinese Language Day |date=2010-11-15 |access-date=2011-07-26 |archive-date=20 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120072350/http://bjreview.com.cn/report/txt/2010-11/15/content_312092.htm |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Liánhéguó zhōngwén rì |script-title=zh:联合国中文日 |trans-title=United Nations Chinese Language Day |url=https://www.un.org/zh/events/chineselanguageday/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727014843/http://www.un.org/zh/events/chineselanguageday/ |archive-date=27 July 2011 |access-date=2011-07-26 |publisher=United Nations |language=zh}} now set on 20 April ("to pay tribute to Cang Jie"{{Cite web |date=2011-04-20 |title=UN Celebrates Chinese Language Day with Art and Exhibitions |url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38156&Cr=language&Cr1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103175838/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38156&Cr=language&Cr1 |archive-date=3 November 2012 |access-date=2011-07-26 |website=UN News Centre |language=en}})
• UN English Language Day: 23 April ("the date traditionally observed as the birthday of William Shakespeare"{{Cite web |title=English Language Day at the United Nations, 23 April 2011 |url=https://www.un.org/en/events/englishlanguageday/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809234248/http://www.un.org/en/events/englishlanguageday/ |archive-date=9 August 2011 |access-date=2011-07-26 |publisher=United Nations |language=en}})
• UN French Language Day: 20 March (corresponding to the Journée internationale de la Francophonie{{Cite web |date=2011-03-21 |title=L'ONU célèbre la Journée de la langue française |trans-title=The UN Celebrates French Language Day |url=https://www.un.org/apps/newsFr/storyF.asp?NewsID=24785&Cr=France&Cr1= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103175909/http://www.un.org/apps/newsFr/storyF.asp?NewsID=24785&Cr=France&Cr1= |archive-date=3 November 2012 |access-date=2011-07-26 |publisher=United Nations |language=fr}})
• UN Portuguese Language Day: 5 May (the date in 2009 that the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) established to represent the Lusophone countries and culture))
• UN Russian Language Day: 6 June (the birthday of Alexander Pushkin)
• UN Spanish Language Day: first celebrated on 12 October (celebrated in the Spanish-speaking world as "Día de la Hispanidad"; compare Columbus Day),{{Cite web |date=2010-10-11 |title=Spanish Language Day to be Celebrated at HQ on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 |url=http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/portal/cache/offonce/home/pid/22000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927152230/http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/portal/cache/offonce/home/pid/22000 |archive-date=27 September 2012 |access-date=2011-07-26 |website=deleGATE |language=en}} now set on 23 April (in honor of Miguel de Cervantes, who died on the same day in 1616{{Cite web |title=Día del Idioma Español en las Naciones Unidas |trans-title=Spanish Language Day at the United Nations |url=https://www.un.org/es/observances/spanish-language-day |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731202612/https://www.un.org/es/observances/spanish-language-day |archive-date=31 July 2020 |access-date=16 September 2020 |publisher=United Nations |language=es}})
• UN Swahili Language Day: 7 July (the date Julius Nyerere adopted the Swahili Language as a unifying language for independence struggles.)

UN independent agencies have their own sets of official languages that sometimes are different from that of the principal UN organs.{{cite web | url=https://www.un.org/dgacm/en/content/editorial-manual/spelling | title=Spelling {{pipe}} Department for General Assembly and Conference Management }} For example, the General Conference of UNESCO has ten official languages including Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, and Portuguese.{{Citation |last=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |title=Recognition of Bahasa Indonesia as an official language of the General Conferention of UNESCO|url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000387388.locale=en |year=2023 |place=Paris |publisher=UNESCO |language=en |access-date=20 November 2023 }}. The Universal Postal Union has just one official language, French.{{Cite web |title=Languages |url=https://www.upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/About-UPU/History/Languages |access-date=2021-03-07 |website=Universal Postal Union}} IFAD has four official languages: Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.{{Citation |title=Rules of Procedure of the Governing Council |url=http://www.ifad.org/pub/basic/gc/e/!05govco.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701045326/http://www.ifad.org/pub/basic/gc/e/!05govco.pdf |publisher=International Fund for Agricultural Development |access-date=2010-08-03 |archive-date=1 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}, Rule 20{{Citation |title=Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board |url=http://www.ifad.org/pub/basic/eb/e/!06exboa.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701045202/http://www.ifad.org/pub/basic/eb/e/!06exboa.pdf |publisher=International Fund for Agricultural Development |access-date=2010-08-03 |archive-date=1 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}, Rule 26

The next largest international grouping after the UN is the Commonwealth of Nations{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} which is exclusively English speaking and has 56 members, and the {{lang|fr|Organisation internationale de la francophonie}} which is exclusively French speaking and has 54 members. All other international bodies in commerce, transport and sport have tended to the adoption of one or a few languages as the means of communication. This is usually English and French (see: list of international organisations which have French as an official language). Regional groups have adopted what is common to other elements of their ethnic or religious background. Standard Arabic is usually adopted across Muslim nation groups. Most of non-Arab Africa is either Francophone or Anglophone because of their imperial past, but there is also a lusophone grouping of countries for the same reason.

{{Portal|Language|Politics}}

• List of official languages
• List of official languages by institution
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• Languages of the European Union
• International Mother Language Day
• League of Nations{{snd}} Languages and Symbols
• The Interpreter
• {{section link|Waste Isolation Pilot Plant|Warning messages for future humans}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/863300/files/A_71_757-EN.pdf 2017 Report of the Secretary-General on Multilingualism]
• [http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000854.html Language Log]
• [http://libraryresources.unog.ch/multilingualism Multilingualism at the United Nations : Research Guide]
• [https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33256&Cr=akasaka&Cr1= Top UN official stresses need for Internet multilingualism to bridge digital divide]

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