Multilingualism
A/RES/67/292
8.
Also welcomes the efforts made by international organizations based on a
shared language to increase their cooperation with the United Nations regarding
multilingualism;
9.
Further welcomes the activities of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, Member States, entities of the United Nations
system, other international organizations and all other participating bodies aimed at
fostering respect for and the promotion and protection of all languages, in particular
endangered ones, linguistic diversity and multilingualism;
10. Reaffirms that linguistic diversity is an important element of cultural
diversity, stresses the importance of the full and effective implementation of the
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural
Expressions, 8 which entered into force on 18 March 2007, and recalls the
Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and
Universal Access to Cyberspace of 15 October 2003; 9
II
Role of the Department of Public Information in multilingualism
11. Emphasizes the importance of making use of all the official languages of
the United Nations, ensuring their full and equitable treatment in all the activities of
the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, with the aim of eliminating
the disparity between the use of English and the use of the five other official
languages, and in this regard reaffirms its request that the Secretary-General ensure
that the Department has the necessary staffing capacity in all the official languages
to undertake all of its activities;
12. Encourages the Department of Public Information to continue to use
other languages in addition to the official languages when appropriate, according to
the targeted audience, with a view to reaching the widest possible spectrum of
audiences and extending the United Nations message to all the corners of the world
in order to strengthen international support for the activities of the Organization;
13. Welcomes the work carried out by the United Nations information
centres, including the United Nations Regional Information Centre, in favour of the
publication of United Nations information materials and the translation of important
documents into languages other than the official languages of the United Nations,
with a view to reaching the widest possible audience and extending the United
Nations message to all corners of the world in order to strengthen international
support for the activities of the Organization, and encourages United Nations
information centres to continue their important multilingual activities in the
interactive and proactive aspects of their work, in particular by arranging seminars
and debates to further the spread of information, understanding and the exchange of
views regarding United Nations activities at the local and regional levels;
14. Also welcomes the sustained effort to disseminate information globally
by use of official and non-official languages and traditional means of
communication, and in this regard expresses its particular appreciation for the work
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8
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2440, No. 43977.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference,
Thirty-second Session, Paris, 29 September–17 October 2003, vol. 1, Resolutions, sect. IV, resolution 41,
annex.
9
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