A/RES/61/266
1.
Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General2 and the letter dated
26 February 2007 from the Director-General of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization to the Secretary-General;3
2.
Emphasizes the paramount importance of the equality of the six official
languages of the United Nations;
3.
Underlines the need for full implementation of the resolutions
establishing language arrangements for the official languages of the United Nations
and the working languages of the Secretariat;
Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all language services are
4.
given equal treatment and are provided with equally favourable working conditions
and resources, with a view to achieving maximum quality of those services, with
full respect for the specificities of the six official languages and taking into account
their respective workloads;
Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to complete the task of
5.
uploading all important older United Nations documents onto the United Nations
website in all six official languages on a priority basis, so that those archives are
also available to Member States through that medium;
Reiterates that all content-providing offices in the Secretariat should
6.
continue their efforts to translate into all official languages all English-language
materials and databases posted on the United Nations website in the most practical,
efficient and cost-effective manner;
Requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure, through the
7.
provision of documentation services and meeting and publishing services under
conference management, including high-quality translation and interpretation,
effective multilingual communication among representatives of Member States in
intergovernmental organs and members of expert bodies of the United Nations
equally in all the official languages of the United Nations;
Stresses the importance of providing United Nations information,
8.
technical assistance and training materials, whenever possible, in the local
languages of the beneficiary countries;
Recalls its resolution 61/236, in which it reaffirmed the provisions
9.
relating to conference services of its resolutions on multilingualism;
10. Also recalls its resolution 61/121 B, and emphasizes the importance of
multilingualism in United Nations public relations and information activities;
11. Notes with satisfaction the willingness of the Secretariat to encourage
staff members, in meetings with interpretation services, to use any of the six official
languages of which they have a command;
12. Requests the Secretary-General to appoint a new Coordinator for
Multilingualism, and takes note of the proposal contained in the report of the
Secretary-General regarding the informal network of focal points to support the
Coordinator;
13.
Emphasizes the importance of:
(a) Making appropriate use of all the official languages of the United
Nations in all the activities of the Department of Public Information of the
Secretariat, with the aim of eliminating the disparity between the use of English and
the use of the five other official languages;
2