United Nations in Iraq celebrates World Arabic Language Day

On a crisp Wednesday mid-morning, United Nations staff in Baghdad joined today in a warm celebration to mark World Arabic Language Day - held annually on 18 December.  Arabic, spoken by several hundred million people and one of six official United Nations languages since 1973, represents a pillar of cultural diversity in all its forms - from classical or dialectal, from poetry or prose, from song or act.

Echoing these sentiments in his welcoming remarks, the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance, Claudio Cordone, spoke in Arabic stressing how "The Arabic language is not only a language, but also a strong pillar of human civilization, connecting peoples through literature, poetry and music. Throughout the ages, the Arabic language has remained the language of science, intellect, innovations and discoveries in many fields. Classical Greek and Roman works of science, medicine and philosophy came to Europe through Arabic translations. Of course, Arabic is the language of the Holy Quran." 

As rich as the Arabic language is, such was the atmosphere at today's well organized and impressive event in the United Nations compound.  With the aroma of freshly brewed Arabic coffee filtering through the cool air, and the taste of sweet and savoury delicacies, the crowd immersed themselves in intricate calligraphy script by Iraqi calligrapher Taha Bakr and enjoyed a traditional live music performance by a vibrant local group - the Sanjat Band, while avid bookworms browsed through the pages of Arabic publications on sale at the makeshift book stall. And, with the festive season upon us, several walked away with trinkets of Iraqi souvenirs which were also on sale at the craft stall.