India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, P Harish, confirmed on Thursday, 9 October 2026, that Hindi continues to hold a non-official language status at the United Nations, sustained through India's voluntary financial backing of the UN Department of Global Communications (UNDGC). The confirmation came at the observance of Hindi Divas at the UN headquarters in New York.

'In the recently adopted multilingualism resolution, Hindi has continued to retain a non-official language status on account of DGC's transmission of news and social media in this language,' Harish said at the event.

The Multilingualism Resolution and What It Means for Hindi

A multilingualism resolution, co-sponsored by Andorra and adopted last month by the UN General Assembly, formally recognises the cultural, political, and diplomatic importance of non-official languages in the UN's work. It reaffirms that any representative may address the body in a non-official language. Hindi's inclusion in this framework is a direct outcome of the Hindi at UN project, which makes UN news and information available to Hindi-speaking audiences worldwide.

'India has voluntarily supported the Hindi at UN project, which makes UN news and information available to Hindi-speaking audiences worldwide,' Harish said. He also cited Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that 'language is most meaningful when it connects rather than divides the people and their culture.'

The MOU Behind the Initiative

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP C P Joshi noted that the UNDGC and India signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2018 to transmit United Nations news in Hindi, funded through voluntary contributions from New Delhi. The MOU was renewed for a further five years last year, cementing the arrangement's long-term continuity.

Joshi described Hindi as 'a vital part of this rich linguistic family' within India's multilingual and multicultural civilisation, and said the language 'ranks among the most widely spoken and understood languages in the world.'

India's Broader Multilingual Push at the UN

'India has consistently supported multilingualism at the United Nations and has co-sponsored resolutions on this subject,' Harish stated. He described Hindi as 'the third largest spoken language in the world,' adding that the language's global reach is amplified by the Indian diaspora, literature, cinema, and digital platforms.

Joan Forner Rovira, Andorra's Permanent Representative, said language is 'one of our most important tools of diplomacy' within the UN system, and framed the multilingualism resolution as consistent with Article 1 of the UN Charter's call for international cooperation and respect for human rights. Home Minister Amit Shah also reportedly encouraged learning one additional Indian language, linking it to the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' (One India, Great India).

What This Signals for Hindi's Global Standing

This is not a grant of official UN language status — that distinction belongs to just six languages — but the resolution and the active UNDGC partnership represent meaningful diplomatic recognition of Hindi's global footprint. Notably, India's voluntary funding model means the arrangement's durability is tied to continued bilateral commitment rather than a structural UN mandate, a distinction that could become relevant in future budget cycles. With the MOU now extended through the late 2020s, Hindi's presence in UN communications appears secure for the near term.