PURPOSE: Arabic Language Day is celebrated every year on 18 December since 2012. The date coincides with the day in 1973 that the United Nations General Assembly adopted Arabic as the sixth official language of the Organization. The objectives of the U.N. Arabic Language Day is to promote equal use of all six official working languages throughout the organization and to celebrate multilingualism, as a core value, and cultural diversity. The celebration of the Arabic Language day aims to acknowledge the contribution of the ‘Arabic language’ in enriching science, philosophy, literature, art and universal culture. The day is also an opportunity to look into the status and the future of one of the most widely spoken languages across the globe.

FORUM: “Arabic – the Language of Poetry and Arts.” Arabic Language Day 2023. This edition will highlight language's importance in reuniting for a constructive dialogue, shaping perceptions, and cultivating understanding in the current global landscape marked by uncertainties and turbulence. Through this year’s theme UNESCO will shed a light on the numerous contributions of Arabic to humanity’s cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as to knowledge production. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #ArabicLanguageDay, #18December, #Arabiclanguage, #Multilingualism.

EVENTS: On December 18th; The celebration of World Arabic Language Day 2023 will be held from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.This year’s commemoration coincides with the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of Arabic as one of the six UN official languages. To pay tribute to the poetic and artistic brilliance of the Arabic language, UNESCO will bring together researchers, academics, youth, and heads of international institutions. The UNESCO organizes round table discussions and cultural performances. Applicants to the Prize for Arab culture must have contributed significantly towards the development, dissemination and the promotion of Arab culture in the world.The winners of the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture will be announced. The event will serve as a solid platform to delve into the discussions on the Arabic language's influence on shaping knowledge, societal transformations through poetry, and its impact on the arts, while fostering cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. The Roundtables within this initiative will center on: 

• Philosophy and Poetry: The Contribution of Arabic Poetry to Knowledge Shaping and Social Transformations

• Arabic Language and Arts: Broadening Scopes of Cultural Diversity

• ‘Arab Latinos!’: The Arabic Imprint in Latin America and the Caribbean

Side Event: Additionally, as part of this initiative, a side event will be organized to reflect on the initial outcomes and highlights of the forthcoming publication focused on the role of Arabic in social inclusion and its preservation within the Arabic-speaking communities of Europe while promoting their integration into host societies. To register, please click here

EXHIBITION: Witness the exhibition showcasing the achievements in advancing the Arabic language under ‘Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Programme for the Arabic Language at UNESCO’ from the 18th to the 22nd December. The programme has fostered intercultural dialogue, enriched linguistic diversity through its projects and initiatives, promoted knowledge production and dissemination in Arabic, and, last but not least, endorsed the annual flagship event: World Arabic Language Day.