English Language Day

23 Apr
UN English Language Day is observed annually on April 23. The event was established by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 2010 to seeking "to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six of its official working languages throughout the organization". April 23 was chosen as the date for the English language because it is the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birthday.

English is one of the two working languages of the UN Secretariat and one of the organization’s six official languages. English is often referred to as a "world language", or the lingua franca (bridge language or common language used by speakers of different languages) of the modern era because it is widely spoken. The UN first celebrated English Language Day on April 23, 2010.

For a language that was used by only 3 tribes about 1500 years ago, English has official or special status in at least 75 countries with a total population of over two billion.