Vera Songwe leads ECA in celebrating UN Arabic Day;says language critical in fostering cohesive, peaceful societies

Abstract

In her opening remarks at the event, ECA Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe, spoke in Arabic and said that it was an honor and privilege for ECA to be celebrating the UN Arabic Language Day for the third time at the Economic Commission for Africa. The Executive Secretary seized the opportunity to salute the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Addis Ababa and the Permanent Mission of the League of Arab States to the AU and ECA for their continued support of this annual event. She also thanked her ECA colleagues for their efforts in the preparation of this event. Ms. Songwe stated that as an essential factor in harmonious communication and dialogue among peoples, multilingualism was also regarded by the United Nations General Assembly as a core value of the Organization. “By promoting tolerance, multilingualism ensures the effective and increased participation of all in the Organization’s work, as well as greater effectiveness, better performance and improved transparency.” Ambassador Saleh M.A. Sahboun Ambassador of the League of Arab States to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa also spoke at the event. He stressed the importance of the use of Arabic in interactions and support to member countries, and the UN’s key role in doing so given the importance of using the language for better impact. The ECA celebration showcased the richness of the Arabic language and included presentations on Arabic history, culture, language, poetry, a cultural exhibit and the Arabic language knowledge products by the ECA North African Subregional office.