Guterres thanked the “generous donation of more than a hundred books”, considering the Portuguese language a “unifying force” that acts as a “vehicle of expression in diplomacy.”
UN Secretary General António Guterres welcomed the creation of a section dedicated to books in the Portuguese language in the United Nations library, also highlighting the importance of language as a “unifying force” that transcends borders.
At an event celebrating World Portuguese Language Day, held on Monday at the UN headquarters in New York, Guterres thanked Member States for “the generous donation of more than one hundred booksamong which are important contributions by Portuguese-speaking authors to world knowledge and culture.”
“They are works that offer a window into the hearts and minds of the Portuguese-speaking worldinviting colleagues and readers to explore, reflect and be moved by the rich diversity of our language,” said the UN leader.
The former Portuguese Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the language as link between cultures and communities around the world and considered the Portuguese language, spoken by hundreds of millions of people, a “unifying force” that acts “as a vehicle of expression in diplomacy, arts and literature.”
Guterres indicated that Portuguese is already a working language in some UN agencies, highlighting that the Portuguese-language service of ‘UN News’, together with the social media teams and the UN Information Centers and Regional Offices in Lusophone , highlight “the growing demand for information in Portuguese.”
Efforts continue to make Portuguese one of the official languages of the United Nations, but the financial investment required “is immense,” Portugal’s ambassador to the UN, Ana Paula Zacarias, told Lusa last year.
Also in 2023, the Central American Court of Justice had already proposed to the The UN Security Council incorporates Portuguese as the official language of the organizationalong with English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian and Arabic.
In an article published last Sunday in the newspaper Público, on World Portuguese Language Day, the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, defended that the partner countries of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) align positions so that the language be recognized as an official national language of the UN until 2030, considering that “it would be a fair recognition.”
The Portuguese language is not only one of the most widespread languages in the world, with more than 260 million speakers spread across all continentssince it is also the most spoken language in the southern hemisphere, according to UNESCO data.
Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Timor-Leste are the nine member states of the CPLP.
In his speech, Guterres recalled that, as Prime Minister of Portugal, he had the “privilege of participating in the creation of this Community for almost 30 years”highlighting that today “the values of dialogue and solidarity” at the center of the CPLP “are more relevant than ever.”
“I know well that we can count on you in our mission for peace, human rights and sustainable development for all,” concluded the Secretary General.
The celebration featured live music, gastronomy and the presence of international diplomatic representatives, including ambassadors from the nine member countries of the CPLP.
The Brazilian Mission to the UN organized the celebration in collaboration with the Camões — Institute of Cooperation and Language and with the Guimarães Rosa Institutethat promotes cultural and educational diplomacy.
Source: Observadora
