English Language Day at the United Nations is celebrated on 23 April, the date traditionally observed as both the birthday and date of death of William Shakespeare. English Language Day seeks to increase awareness about the history, cultures and achievements associated with the English language, which is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
English Language Day is the result of an initiative started in 2010 by the Department of Global Communications of the United Nations Secretariat, as part of which a day was designated to celebrate each of the Organization's six official languages. The purpose of the language days is to promote multilingualism, cultural diversity and the equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization.
The Publications and Conference Management Section of the Economic Commission for Africa would like for you to celebrate English Language Day wherever you are. To that end, we would like to share with you a short video featuring fun facts about the history and significance of the English language (available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTHvVwEzVIs).
Happy English Language Day!