International Mother Language Day has been observed at the United Nations headquarters for the 8th consecutive year.

The Permanent Missions of Bangladesh, Austria, Bahrain, Bolivia, Romania and South Africa to the United Nations jointly organised the event on Wednesday in partnership with the UN Secretariat and UNESCO, according to a press release received on Thursday.

The president of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis graced the event as the chief guest.

This year’s event featured a rich and multilingual discussion followed by cultural performances.

In his welcome remarks, the permanent representative of Bangladesh to the UN ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith paid homage to the language martyrs for upholding the sanctity of Bangla in 1952, and to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for leading the language movement and the subsequent national movements culminating to our liberation in 1971.

He recalled with gratitude the crucial role of prime minister sheikh Hasina in securing UNESCO’s recognition of 21st February as the international mother language day at the initiative of expatriate Bangladeshis.

He also highlighted the importance of mother tongue-based education for ensuring quality and inclusive education to the children.

The Bangladesh envoy also reiterated the call of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to make Bangla an official language of the United Nations.

The president of the UN General Assembly, the permanent representatives and ambassadors of Bahrain, Bolivia, Romania, South Africa, Austria, India, Hungary, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania, senior representatives of the UN and UNESCO and a representative of civil society participated in the discussion on this year’s theme- ‘Multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning’.

The president of the UN General Assembly and all other speakers acknowledged with deep appreciation, the leadership role of Bangladesh in celebrating the International Mother Language Day in the UN Headquarters.

They thanked Bangladesh for its pioneering role in getting proclamation of a day dedicated to mother language.

They also recognised the importance of mother tongue-based multilingual education as the foundation for continued learning and development.

Chair of the NGO Committee on Language and Languages also spoke at the event as a civil society representative.

The event was attended by a significant number of ambassadors, diplomats from different countries, high officials from the UN Secretariat, civil society and Bangladeshi community representatives.

In addition to the six UN official languages, interpretation was provided in Bangla, Hindi and Romanian language.

The cultural segment included presentation of theme song — amar bhai-er rokte rangano ekushey February by UN Chamber Music Society and diaspora based cultural groups while the event was telecast live on the United Nations Web TV.

Earlier in the morning the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh observed the Martyrs Day and the International Mother Language Day with due solemnity on the Mission’s premises.

The permanent representative and the mission officials laid wreath at the Shaheed Minar established in the mission.

During the event the messages of the president, prime minister, and foreign minister were read-out by the Mission officials.