India has donated $1 million to the United Nations to support the promotion of the Hindi language. Melissa Fleming, the Global Communications under-secretary-general, expressed gratitude to @IndiaUNNewYork and @ruchirakamboj for their generous investment in the @UNinHindi service, aimed at delivering UN news and stories to Hindi-speaking audiences in India and beyond.
Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj emphasized the Indian government’s unwavering commitment to promoting the use of the Hindi language within the United Nations. She expressed her satisfaction in working together with the UN to achieve this objective.
In a press release issued by the Permanent Mission of India, it was revealed that a substantial contribution was made to the UN specifically aimed at expanding the usage of Hindi within the organization. This initiative, known as Hindi@UN, was launched in 2018 in collaboration with the UN Department of Public Information. The primary focus of this project was to enhance communication efforts in Hindi and foster greater engagement and awareness about global issues among the vast Hindi-speaking population worldwide.
To disseminate UN News in Hindi, various platforms are utilized, including UN News, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Moreover, a weekly audio bulletin, UN News-Hindi, is employed to share information with the audience.
The impact of these efforts is evident in the growing popularity of UN Hindi social media accounts, with approximately 50,000 followers on Twitter, 29,000 on Instagram, and 15,000 on Facebook. Additionally, the Hindi UN News website has an annual impression count of 1.3 million and consistently ranks among the top ten search results on various internet search engines. This success demonstrates the increasing reach and influence of the Hindi language in promoting global awareness and engagement through the United Nations’ channels.
India’s Commitment to Promote Hindi at the UN
India’s Permanent Representative, Ruchira Kamboj, presented the donation cheque and reaffirmed India’s commitment to promoting the use of Hindi at the United Nations.
She highlighted the efforts made by the UN to mainstream and consolidate news and multimedia content in Hindi, which have been well-received both in India and among Hindi-speaking populations in other countries.
Historical Significance of Hindi at the UN
The introduction of Hindi at the UN can be attributed to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who, in 1977, became the first Indian official to address the UN in Hindi when he served as the external affairs minister.
The Multilingual Nature of the UN
The United Nations initially began with three widely spoken languages: English, French, and Spanish, carried over from its predecessor, the League of Nations, along with Russian and Chinese, the languages of the two permanent members. Arabic was later added as an official language in 1973.
UN’s Efforts to Promote Multilingualism
The UN provides simultaneous interpretation in its meetings and translates documents into its six official languages. Countries can also arrange for simultaneous translation of speeches from and into their languages, as India has done with Hindi.
India’s Pursuit to Include Hindi as an Official Language
India initiated efforts to include Hindi as an official language at the UN in 2003, with the constitution of a high-level committee chaired by the external affairs minister. Renewed efforts were made in 2007 at the recommendation of the 8th World Hindi Conference.
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