Addis Ababa — United Nations staff in Ethiopia on Friday joined the rest of the UN family scattered around the globe in celebrating the Chinese Language Day.
UN Chinese Language Day is observed annually on April 20 following its establishment by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2010.
In his remarks, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Chief of Staff, Mr. Collen V. Kelapile said language days at the UN seek to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization.
Chinese was established as an official language of the UN in 1946.
"For us at the UN and ECA, it is a distinct honor and privilege to be observing, for the first time at this duty station, Chinese as one of the six official languages of the UN," said Mr. Kelapile.
"Today's commemoration is therefore ample demonstration of the strong appreciation of Chinese language, and on our part as the UN family, a clear demonstration of our active involvement and commitment across duty stations to promote multilingualism as a core value of the United Nations."
He said he was pleased that many people attended the celebrations saying this demonstrated their eagerness to become immersed in the multilingual aspects of the commemoration.
"We see our newly-established partnership with the Mission of China as exemplary because it demonstrates how much can be accomplished together to promote not only multilingualism or Chinese language, but other aspects of Chinese culture," Mr. Kelapile.
"By so doing, we stand a greater chance to increase awareness among all stakeholders of the contribution of multilingualism and culture; and by extension together making a collective contribution to the goals of the United Nations."
He said the ECA was happy with the partnership it has with the Chinese Mission in Ethiopia, adding they could develop other initiatives that can foster multilingualism. This could include teaming up with the Confucius Institute at the Addis Ababa University to teach Chinese to UN staff in Ethiopia.
World Civilization
For his part, Mr. Chen Xufeng, the deputy Head of the People's Republic of China to the African Union, expressed gratitude to the ECA for co-hosting the event.
"China is a great contributor to world civilization, particularly by its great four inventions: the compass; paper making technology; movable type printing and gunpowder," he said.
"The four inventions have played a vital role in spreading ideas, promoting common development and enhancing cultural exchanges between the East and the West."
Mr. Xufeng said since the founding of the People's Republic of China, cultural exchange has become one of the most important area of cooperation between China and Africa.
"These exchanges not only promote mutual understanding and common development of all cultures but also help create a diverse, inclusive and harmonious world," he said.
Ms. Yang Ying of the Confucius Institute in Addis Ababa talked about Chinese values, language and culture while the audience was treated to Chinese performances and food.
"The Chinese Mission is ready to continue its close cooperation with the UNECA and other partners in deepening economic, social and cultural exchanges between China and Africa," said Mr. Xufeng.
Mr. Ali Tadaro, Chief, Conference Management Section at the ECA, and also Focal Point for Multilingualism, said he was elated the day was a success as it helped many to have a better understanding of China's culture, traditions and philosophy.
"Apart from fulfilling the mandate of the United Nations General Assembly, the day also helped to showcase the ECA's role in advancing dialogue among member States and use of various languages in the United Nations. It was a great learning opportunity where we got to experience the Chinese language and culture in a relaxed way," said Mr. Tadaro at the end of the celebrations.
The first Chinese Language Day was celebrated in 2010 on the 12th of November. The date was later changed to 20 April to correspond to Guyu (grain rain), the 6th of 24 solar terms according to the Chinese calendar. Chinese people celebrate Guyu in honour of Cang Jie, a mythical figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5000 years ago.
