UN French Language Day 2022
March 20, 2022 in the World
UN French Language Day is celebrated on March 20, 2022. The event was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2010. The day is observed annually in order to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six its official working languages throughout the organization.
March 20 was chosen as the date for the French language since it coincides with the 40th anniversary of the International Organization of La Francophonie. French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the province of Quebec and the Acadia region in Canada, the north of the U.S. state of Louisiana, and by various communities elsewhere.
French is an official language in 29 countries. It as well is an official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organizations. French was the most important language of diplomacy and international relations from the 17th century to approximately the middle of the 20th century. English has taken over that role since then.