New Delhi: S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, said that attempts are being made to have Hindi recognised as an official language at the UN, but he added that while progress has been made in that regard, it will take time.
“You would be aware that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization speaks Hindi (UNESCO). We have a Memorandum of Understanding with them, and they utilise Hindi in their headquarters and in their newsletters. Expanding this will take some time. The introduction of a language into the UN process is not so simple, “Jaishankar made the statement at a New Delhi event. The work is on, progress has been made, and we anticipate that this will advance”, he continued.
Logo and website for Vishwa Hindi Diwas
Along with V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, and Anjeela Jokhan, Permanent Secretary for the Fijian Ministry of Education, Heritage, and Arts, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also unveiled the logo and website for Vishwa Hindi Diwas. The 12th World Hindi Conference will take place in Fiji from February 15–17, 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
Anjeela Jokhan spoke at the occasion and praised the collaboration with India, saying that Fiji is honoured to be the first Pacific nation to host the important event.
World Hindi Conference next year
“We are honoured that the Indian government has chosen us to host the World Hindi Conference the next year since this venue will give us an excellent chance to promote and honour Hindi, one of our nation’s primary languages. In fact, Fiji feels lucky and privileged to host this important event as the first nation in the Pacific, “Anjeela Jokhan, the secretary for Fiji, remarked.
Fiji Constitution focusses on Hindi
“We’ll work hard to ensure that this conference is a huge success. In fact,Hindi is recognised as one of our official languages in the Fiji Constitution. Additionally, we instruct in Hindi in both our elementary and secondary institutions. In primary schools, it is a requirement for pupils of Indian descent, although it is an elective in secondary schools. Additionally, Hindi is taught in our universities, she continued.
Jokhan stated that during the past 52 years, the relationship between the governments of India and Pakistan has been stronger and stronger, and the peoples of our two countries have benefited greatly from our exchanges and engagements on a bilateral basis. “Our two nations have an unmistakable tie,” the official continued, “which can be seen in our mutual understanding and respect for each other’s sovereignty, common growth, and shared prosperity.”