YEREVAN. –Students, university professors, authorities and journalists learned more about the important role of the Chinese Language at the UN during the observation of the Chinese Language Day on Friday.

The goal of the event is to promote multilingualism of the UN and cultural diversity and to educate youth on the crucial role of UN official languages in spreading the message of the UN around the globe. 

Over 100 students participated in the performances and presentations, promoting Chinese language, sharing the ancient art of calligraphy.  The event was organized by the UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI) jointly with the Confucius Institute of the Yerevan State Linguistic University named after V. Brusov.

The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Armenia, Tian Changchun, the Rector of the Yerevan State Linguistic University named after Brusov Gayane Gasparyan and Director of the Confucius Institute Naira Grigoryan, spoke about the use of the Chinese language in the UN, ancient Chinese traditions, culture and opportunities to study Chinese in Armenia. 

The Representative of the UN Department of Public Information in Armenia, Maria Dotsenko said: “I am delighted to see the strong interest in the Chinese Language Day in Armenia. I would like also to draw attention to the history and importance of the Chinese language in global affairs. I am confident that this event will further expand the influence of Chinese as a UN official language and youth will learn more about the splendid Chinese civilization and culture and its contribution to the multilingualism and diversity of the UN.”

The Confucius Institute’s management and students received specially designed Certificates of Appreciation from the UNDPI.

As per some estimates more than 1.4 billion are Mandarin Chinese native speakers in the world. The Chinese language is the second of the top 10 most-spoken languages. 

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the six official languages of the United Nations.