An essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples and an enabler of multilateral diplomacy, multilingualism is of particular importance to the United Nations. By promoting dialogue, tolerance and understanding, multilingualism ensures effective participation of all in the Organization’s work, as well as greater transparency and efficiencies and better outcomes.

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

Parity among the six official languages has been an ongoing concern of the Secretary-General. The use of all the official languages, on an equal footing, is actively promoted to guarantee that all stakeholders can participate in the work of the United Nations. To ensure that the goals and actions of the UN are understood by the widest possible public, non-official languages are also in use at the UN on a daily basis. To achieve these objectives, the UN Secretariat promotes an organizational culture in its ranks that values and nurtures multilingualism throughout the human resources continuum.

(adapted from:https://www.un.org)