New York, 22 October 2026 – The first Italophony Day at the United Nations was held today in the ECOSOC Chamber at UN Headquarters. The event was organized by the Permanent Missions of Italy, San Marino and Switzerland as part of the Week of the Italian Language in the World, and gathered more than 300 participants, including ambassadors, senior United Nations officials, academics, students and teachers.
The event takes place in the heeds of the first International Conference on Italophony held in Rome on 18 November 2025 upon initiative of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani. The conference resulted in the founding of the Community of Italian Speakers aimed to promote the Italian language and the communities around the world that identify with it.
A key moment of today’s event was the issuance at the United Nations of the declaration of commitment to the Community of Italian Speakers to strengthen the presence of Italophony within the multilateral system and reinforce the role of the Italian language as a tool for dialogue, cooperation and mutual understanding.
“Italian is a language with a rich tradition, but also one of creativity and innovation, looking towards the future,” said Ambassador Giorgio Marrapodi, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations. “At UN Headquarters, many officials, ambassadors and prominent figures speak Italian, use it in their work and share our commitment to peace, sustainable development and human rights. This is the idea behind creating a Community of Italian Speakers at the United Nations.”
Other speakers included United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNFPA Diene Keita, Permanent Observer of the Holy See Archbishop Christophe Zakhia El Kassis, and Director of the FAO Liaison Office in New York Angélica Jácome.
The event also featured a panel discussion on creativity and innovation through the Italian language, bringing together representatives from academia, science and the arts, including non-native Italian speakers, and attended by numerous high school and university students.
