Russian Language Day is celebrated at the United Nations on June 6, the birthday of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, as part of the program for the support and development of multilingualism and cultural diversity. One of the goals of this program is to maintain the equality of all six official languages of the United Nations: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The decision to hold language days was made by the Department of Public Information (currently the Department of Global Communications) on the eve of the International Mother Language Day, celebrated annually on February 21 at the initiative of UNESCO. The purpose of the UN Language Days is to raise awareness of the history, culture and development of each of the six official languages of the United Nations among United Nations staff.

Each language has the opportunity to find its own unique approach and develop its own program of events for the day, including inviting famous poets and writers and developing informational and thematic materials, as well as training programs for everyone interested in learning Russian as one of the languages of the United Nations.

Language is more than just communication, it is a tool for developing knowledge and culture, as well as strengthening the foundations of interaction between peoples and countries. Languages play a crucial role in ensuring the identity of a person and groups of people and their peaceful coexistence. Languages serve as one of the strategic factors of progress in achieving sustainable development and harmonious relationships between the global and local levels.

The multilingualism of the United Nations determines success in discussing the most important ideas and solutions to global problems.

Friends,

This June 6, we celebrate the 225th birthday of Alexander Pushkin, the great Russian poet. The UN Russian Language Day is observed on the same day.

Russian culture and science created their universally acclaimed masterpieces in the language which served as the mother tongue for Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Ivan Turgenev. The role the Russian language plays in terms of enabling people of various ethnic backgrounds to communicate internationally can hardly be underestimated. Today, over 250 million people speak this language around the world. The fact that various multilateral structures have designated Russian as their official or working language demonstrates just how relevant it is in today’s world. Russian Language Day has been listed in the UN’s International Days and Weeks calendar as part of the programme to promote multilingualism and cultural diversity.

The Russian language’s broad dissemination around the world, as well as our common past and far-reaching economic and people-to-people ties have come together to create a solid foundation for reinforcing integration processes across the Eurasian space. I would like to place a special emphasis on the establishment in October 2023 of an International Organisation for the Russian Language, which was proposed by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. All countries without exception are free to join it.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to civil society activists, our Russian compatriots living abroad and the many friends Russia has around the world for making their contribution to preserving a Russian-speaking space and promoting our Motherland’s cultural and historical heritage.

I am convinced that marking Russian Language Day, which is timed to coincide with the jubilee of our great poet, helps promote international cultural and educational cooperation and maintain an atmosphere of friendship and trust among nations.