The Silver Jubilee of International Mother Language Day (IMLD) was celebrated at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN in New York today with due fervour in the presence of many ambassadors and diplomats from different countries and high officials from the UN Secretariat. Under Secretary General for UN Global Communications attended the program as the chief guest.
In his welcome remarks, Bangladesh Permanent Representative Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury paid deep tribute to the language martyrs for establishing Bangla as a state language in 1952. He also thanked UNESCO for its initiative to connect multilingualism with sustainable social development.
Under Secretary General for UN Global Communications, Ms Melissa Fleming and all other speakers deeply appreciated Bangladesh's leadership in achieving the proclamation of a day dedicated to the mother tongue. They also recognized the importance of mother tongue-based multilingual education as the foundation for continued learning and development. Professor Francis M Hult, Chair of the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, Ms Lily Gray, a representative from UNESCO, and Ms Anne Lafebar, representative of the UN Coordinator for Multilingualism, attended the program.
Earlier in the morning the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh observed the Martyrs Day and the International Mother Language Day with due solemnity in the Mission's premises. During the event, messages from the Hon'ble Chief Adviser and the Hon'ble Adviser for Foreign Affairs were read out by the Mission officials.
