On 23 April 2024, in commemoration of the English Language Day 2024 at the United Nations, the UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council will inaugurate the “Shakespeare at the UN”–  an exploration of how the timeless works of Shakespeare, reflecting the human experience, may resonate with the core values of the UN, including promoting understanding of humanity and fostering global connections.

Celebrating the English language at the United Nations

English Language Day at the United Nations is celebrated on the 23rd of April — the date traditionally observed as both the birthday and date of death of William Shakespeare. As well as being the English language's most famous playwright, Shakespeare had a significant impact on modernday English. Shakespeare's creativity with language meant he contributed hundreds of new words and phrases: 'gossip'; 'fashionable' and 'lonely' were all first used by Shakespeare. He also invented phrases like 'break the ice', 'fainthearted' and 'love is blind'.



Language days at the UN
English Language Day is the result of a 2010 initiative by the UN's Department of Global Communications, establishing language days for each of the Organization's six official languages. The purpose of the UN's language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, and to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization.

Under the initiative, UN duty stations around the world celebrate six separate days, each dedicated to one of the Organization's six official languages. With the goal of increasing awareness and respect for the history, culture and achievements of each of the six working languages among the UN community, Language Days at the UN aim to entertain, as well as to inform.



Learn more

English Language Day website: https://www.un.org/en/observances/eng...
English Language Quiz: https://forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...