UN announces 2008 as International Year of Languages
17/5/2007 16:28
The UN General Assembly announced yesterday 2008 as the International
Year of Languages, in an effort to promote unity in diversity and international
understanding.
Acting without a vote, the 192-member assembly adopted a
resolution by consensus, recognizing that the world body pursues multilingualism
as a means of promoting, protecting and preserving diversity of languages and
cultures globally.
It emphasized "the paramount importance of the equality of
the organization's six official languages" -- Arabic, Chinese, English, French,
Russian and Spanish.
The assembly requested UN chief Ban Ki-moon to ensure
that all language services were given equal treatment and were provided with
equally favorable working conditions and resources.
The secretary-general was
also requested to complete the task of publishing all important older UN
documents on the organization's website in all six official languages, on a
priority basis.
The assembly also emphasized the importance of making
appropriate use of all the official languages in all the activities of the
Department of Public Information, with the aim of eliminating the disparity
between the use of English and the use of the five other official
languages.
Xinhua
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