General Assembly Session 61 meeting 96

The President

I give the floor to the representative of France to introduce draft resolution A/61/L.56.

Mr. De La Sablière (France)

It is an honour for me to present to the General Assembly the draft resolution under agenda item 114, on multilingualism (A/61/L.56), which delegates have before them. This text, which in a few moments will be adopted by consensus, is the result of negotiations that my delegation has had the privilege of coordinating since February.

At the outset I would like to thank the very many delegations that took part in the meetings conducted by France, thus showing their interest and devotion to the principle of multilingualism. I would like to emphasize that for the first time, before the actual intergovernmental negotiations, we were in a position to hold several question-and-answer sessions with the Secretariat -- whose availability I would like to pay tribute to -- especially on the Secretary-General's report on multilingualism. These informal exchanges were, I think, very useful, and their use should certainly be renewed.

The negotiating process conducted by my delegation was carried out in a constructive spirit, with the support of everybody. The inclusive and ultimately consensual nature of our discussions constituted the cornerstone of our approach to this draft resolution. Although it is difficult for me to dwell on one or another aspect of the draft resolution, it seems to me that it responds to two requirements: to ensure a global approach to the issue of multilingualism, and to promote an ambitious and at the same time reasonable vision.

First of all, the text guarantees a comprehensive approach to the question of multilingualism because the General Assembly recalls the need to strictly observe the rules laid down for the linguistic regime in the United Nations with regard to both working languages and official languages. The cross-cutting nature of this resolution can be measured by the yardstick of the subjects it deals with: daily activities of the Organization, that is, conference services, public information -- and, more specifically, the website -- and human resource management, but also its external activities, the proof of which is the positive appreciation of the United Nations Information Centres.

This comprehensive approach to multilingualism is also found by the mention in the resolution of languages other than working and official languages, which naturally are included. Thus for the first time, the General Assembly stresses the importance of providing United Nations information, technical assistance and training tools, whenever possible, in the local languages of the beneficiary countries. Finally, my delegation must express its satisfaction at the mention, also for the first time in the resolution, of languages used by persons with disabilities.

The text also defends a balanced and ambitious view of multilingualism. It is balanced because it shows constant budget costs. It is balanced also because it mentions a number of initiatives and measures already taken by the Secretariat. I am thinking here of the launching of the United Nations Intranet site, as well as the establishment of external partnerships between the United Nations and institutions of higher learning in order to increase the number of Internet pages available, which is the case for the Russian, Spanish and Chinese languages. The resolution is also balanced, finally, because for the first time mention is made of official languages of the United Nations that use non-Latin and bidirectional scripts.

This draft resolution is also ambitious, because the General Assembly decides to move ahead on a number of specific issues. I have referred to some of them already, but I would also like to mention the proclamation of the year 2008 as International Year of Languages, or the fact that the Assembly takes note of the Secretary-General's proposal regarding the informal network of focal points responsible for supporting the Coordinator for Multilingualism, whose appointment the Assembly calls for.

The adoption of this resolution on multilingualism is not an end in itself, of course. It constitutes an important step for the work of the United Nations, because multilingualism is the linguistic, cultural, even civilizational equivalent of multilateralism. Let us not forget that the Charter of the United Nations starts with the words: "We the peoples of the United Nations".

The right to use one's language, the capacity to communicate and thus to understand and make oneself understood, and the preservation of a heritage that might be hundreds or even thousands of years old must be at the heart of the mission of the United Nations. Two eminent nineteenth-century men of letters summed up this issue perfectly. Stendhal said: "The first instrument of a people's genius is its language", and Goethe said: "Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own."

We therefore deem it essential to mobilize so as to give life to the principle of multilingualism within and outside the United Nations. That is the objective of this draft resolution.

I cannot conclude without warmly thanking the draft's many sponsors, who wished to show their full support for it in a symbolic manner. A total of 113 Member States -- a record for this resolution -- have agreed to sponsor the draft.

Mr. Hachani (Tunisia)

I am pleased to take the floor in this debate on agenda item 114 on multilingualism. I should like to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive and informative report on multilingualism in the Secretariat and for the important conclusions that it contains, in addition to the recommendations on enshrining multilingualism within the Secretariat.

I should like to take this opportunity also to thank the coordinator of the draft resolution on multilingualism that was submitted to the General Assembly today and which was introduced by the Ambassador of France. I should like to commend the efforts of all parties that contributed to this consensus text. Indeed, my delegation took part in the consultations. Consensus has been reached on the draft resolution, and we hope that we and all concerned parties will implement it.

Tunisia is proud of its Arabic language. That is its official language, in addition to French, which has special status. Tunisia is proud of having made the study of foreign languages a priority in its educational system. We believe that multilingualism in the United Nations, as enshrined through the use of the official languages on an equal footing, in a non-preferential manner, serves to enrich the work of the Organization in the carrying out of its daily activities, in compliance with the principles underpinning our Organization. It is a forum for dialogue, consultation, respect, tolerance, openness and acceptance of differences.

In addition to being a tool for dialogue and for the effective participation of all in the work of the Organization, each United Nations language carries with it a certain cultural, cognitive and civilizational baggage. Languages are vehicles for ideas, principles and references that reflect various perspectives on the future of humankind, without causing any alienation or dispute among us. Thus safeguarding multilingualism in the United Nations also means ensuring respect for diversity as a source of wealth and enrichment.

Promoting the image of the United Nations in the eyes of the general population involves raising awareness of its work, its programmes and its objectives through the balanced use of the official languages. It is important, therefore, to ensure conducive conditions and the necessary resources, on an equal footing, for all United Nations languages. The goal is to ensure respect, in actions and in words, for the principle of linguistic equality throughout all the activities of the Organization.

Despite the difficulties we are facing in achieving parity among the official languages, we view this as a priority issue. We must attach greater importance to it and make additional efforts in that respect, especially as regards the dissemination of official and unofficial documents and interpretation during meetings.

In that respect, I should like to pay tribute to the efforts made the Department of Public Information to promote the principle of multilingualism and of parity among the official languages in the work of the United Nations in the audiovisual and electronic areas. Those efforts have resulted in an increased interest on the part of the public in the publications of the Organization. For example, use of the Organization's Arabic website has increased by 41 per cent compared with 2004, and use of French sites also has increased, by 33 per cent.

I am also pleased to note the work done by the United Nations Information Centres and all the work they are doing to disseminate information to the general public through the use of local languages.

Lastly, I should like to reaffirm that the principle of multilingualism is very important to the United Nations because it is an essential pillar for interaction among peoples. It is a tool that ensures greater participation by all in our work. Thus we must preserve the richness that languages bring by various means, especially through the allocation of human resources and through cooperation and coordination with Member States and specialized agencies, on the basis of a policy that takes into account the future needs of our Organization in that area.

Mr. Vila Coma (Andorra)

I am pleased to address the Assembly on agenda item 114, on multilingualism.

Andorra, because of its geographical situation and its social and cultural diversity, has always been very interested in this subject and understands the specific issues involved. Andorra is once again a sponsor of the draft resolution because we believe that it will lead to respect for the balanced use of the official languages of the United Nations and to the safeguarding of languages as the foundation of cultural diversity.

Today the General Assembly will adopt the draft resolution on multilingualism, and we welcome this. I should like to take this opportunity to commend the excellent work done by the facilitator in conducting our negotiations. In that regard, we welcome the pivotal role of all those delegations that took part in the discussions in order to arrive at a compromise text.

Mr. Golovinov (Russia)

Multilingualism in the United Nations, as expressed in particular through the use, in the Organization's work, of the official and working languages, forms the very basis of the universal character of the Organization and is an important means of achieving the fundamental purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.

The experience accumulated over the Organization's 60 years of existence makes clear that if due attention is not paid by the United Nations to the issue of safeguarding multilingualism in its daily work, the harmonious integration of a growing number of countries in the practical work of the United Nations will prove difficult.

The promotion of parity among the six official languages of the United Nations is essential to ensure genuine multilingualism in the Organization. That includes ensuring unimpeded communication among representatives of Member States and intergovernmental or expert bodies in all official languages through high-quality conference services and the achievement of linguistic parity in website design and in the Organization's public information activities. In that connection, we emphasize the need to swiftly complete the process of including all official documents throughout the Organization's history on the United Nations website in all official languages.

Preserving and strengthening the principle of multilingualism at the United Nations is also essential in ensuring that the peoples of the world have reliable information about the work of the Organization, thus increasing international support for that work. Nor must we forget that the principle of equality among United Nations official languages means that equal treatment must be given to all language services of the Secretariat, viewing their resource and staffing provisions in the light of actual workload. That will largely determine the quality of the services that they provide to Member States.

Russia attaches great importance to genuine multilingualism at the United Nations and throughout the world as a means of enhancing mutual understanding among peoples, the exchange of knowledge, values and positive experiences, and mutual spiritual enrichment through a balanced dialogue among cultures. In that connection, Russia welcomes UNESCO's initiative to proclaim 2008 as the International Year of Languages.

Finally, I wish to emphasize that, in our view, draft resolution A/61/L.56, on multilingualism, presented today for the consideration of Member States is another serious step on the path towards the attainment of one of the Organization's most important objectives. Russia, as one of the sponsors of the draft resolution, calls upon Member States to lend it their unanimous support.

Mr. Motoc (Romania)

Romania attaches particular importance to the biennial adoption of a General Assembly resolution on multilingualism. Linguistic diversity is an integral and essential part of cultural diversity and a sine qua non for the development of humanity in its diverse forms and manifestations. Indeed, multilingualism is the best way of expressing the very essence of the multilateral nature of the United Nations.

In that connection, we welcome the fact that the text to be put to the vote shortly reaffirms the need to ensure that all United Nations official languages are given equal treatment in the world Organization's activities. In particular, Romania welcomes the references in draft resolution A/61/L.56 to the work carried out in local languages by the United Nations information centres, to the development of United Nations websites in the six official languages and to the proclamation of 2008 as the International Year of Languages. Here, I wish to mention the efforts made and the encouraging results achieved by the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management -- a Department that assists you, Madam President, in a very professional manner.

We believe that the next resolution on multilingualism, in 2009, could offer an even more favourable framework for the inclusion of an explicit reference to peacekeeping operations. That proposal was made this year by the Canadian delegation and was supported by the francophone group and other countries. The fifth International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, which will be observed shortly, on 29 May, will be an opportunity for renewed reflection about the effectiveness and importance of good interaction -- including with regard to linguistic comprehension -- between United Nations forces and local populations.

I should like to warmly thank France for having undertaken the task of coordinating the negotiations and for having brought us, in a patient and clearsighted manner, to a final consensus after more than three months of debate. Indeed, the negotiations aroused increased interest -- sometimes even contradictory interest -- on the part of many delegations. While the terms "flexibility" and "constructive spirit" might now seem like leitmotifs sometimes intended to conceal what could be perceived as a lack of progress, they nevertheless reflect -- when demonstrated by everyone -- the conditions necessary for effective and meaningful collective action.

Finally, my delegation wishes to thank all delegations that demonstrated flexibility and a genuine constructive spirit throughout the negotiations. Like my French colleague, we wish to note the impressive record number of sponsors of the text: 113 countries.

Mr. Seye (Senegal)

I should like at the outset to thank the French delegation, which coordinated the negotiations on draft resolution A/61/L.56, for its tireless efforts to arrive at a balanced text on a subject of such great importance as multilingualism. This cross-cutting topic deserves our full attention, because multilingualism relates to the daily activities of the United Nations, whether here or in the field.

My delegation believes that the cross-cutting nature of multilingualism is a sine qua non for compliance with the principle of equal treatment of languages in the United Nations system. Like my colleague from Romania, I should like to express the hope that we will see a reference to United Nations peacekeeping operations in the next resolution on this item, because we believe that intervention on the ground should involve the use of languages that can be understood by the populations for whom the work of the Organization is intended. To that end, we hope for even greater flexibility in the future on the part of the delegations that participated in the negotiations. Those delegations, it must be said, demonstrated flexibility, but -- I am thinking of the future -- could make more concessions and show more understanding for the benefit of all nations that use the daily services of the Organization.

The President

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item.

We shall now proceed to consider draft resolution A/61/L.56. I give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

Mr. Botnaru (Department for General Assembly and Conference Management)

I should like to inform members that, in connection with draft resolution A/61/L.56, entitled "Multilingualism", I wish to place on record the following statement on financial implications on behalf of the Secretary-General, in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly.

Under the terms of operative paragraph 4 of the draft resolution, the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General

"to ensure that all language services are given equal treatment and are provided with equally favourable working conditions and resources, with a view to achieving maximum quality of those services, with full respect for the specificities of the six official languages and taking into account their respective workloads".

Further, under the terms of operative paragraph 27 of the draft resolution, the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General "to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-third session a comprehensive report on the full implementation of its resolutions on multilingualism". In that regard, any resulting resource implications will be addressed in the report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly at its sixty-third session on the implementation of the present draft resolution, as called for under operative paragraph 27.

The President

Before we proceed to take action on the draft resolution, I should like to announce that, since the introduction of the draft resolution, the following countries have become co-sponsors: Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Colombia, Guyana, Iceland, Iraq, Kuwait, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nicaragua, Peru, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Suriname, Timor-Leste, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Zambia.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/61/L.56.

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/61/L.56?

The President

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 114?