The Permanent Mission of India (PMI) to the United Nations celebrated World Hindi Day on February 13, 2025, in New York, under the theme “Multilingualism and the Promotion of Hindi Abroad.”

World Hindi Day, initiated by the Indian government on January 10, 2006, aims to promote and popularize Hindi globally. Since then, it has been commemorated worldwide each year.

India’s Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, Guest of Honor at the event, reflected on the launch of World Hindi Day and emphasized India’s rich multilingual and multicultural heritage. She highlighted ongoing efforts to make Hindi more globally recognized and advocated for its acknowledgment as an official UN language.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador P. Harish, noted that Hindi has been added to the list of non-official languages at the UN. He also acknowledged India’s contribution of $7 million to support UN News in Hindi, thanking the UN Department of Global Communications for their cooperation.

Under-Secretary-General Melissa Fleming underscored Hindi’s global significance, with over 600 million speakers. She praised the Hindi@UN initiative, which, alongside social media outreach, brings UN activities closer to Hindi-speaking communities.

Prominent academics also spoke about Hindi’s growing presence in the United States, stressing that multilingualism, digital media, and technology can play a vital role in expanding Hindi content, particularly among younger generations.

The event saw participation from UN officials, language enthusiasts, and representatives of Indian institutions.

India Funds Venezuela’s El Sistema Music Program

In response to a request from the Government of Venezuela, India has granted $1 million under the India-UN Development Partnership Fund to support the “El Sistema,” music education initiative.

The project aims to strengthen El Sistema’s capacity, ensure operational efficiency, and expand enrollment by 100,000 students. This initiative seeks to position El Sistema as a key public policy institution for social inclusion through music.

Established in 2017, the India-UN Development Partnership Fund supports development projects in various sectors across the Global South, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). India has committed $150 million to the fund, prioritizing South-South cooperation, national ownership, and local capacity-building.

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