Co-organized by the Embassy of Bangladesh in France and the Secretariat of UNESCO, an international event on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day has been held in the city of Paris.

The exhibition dedicated to the International Mother Language Day featured stand of Permanent Delegation of Azerbaijan displaying different colored books, postcards, national souvenirs in Azerbaijani language, which aroused great interest among participants.

Addressing the event, Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, spoke about the importance of mother language and education. She also stressed the significance of ensuring cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies, as well as preserving the differences of cultures and languages that promote tolerance and respect for others.

Stefania Giannini, as well as the chairpersons of the UNESCO Executive Board and the General Conference viewed the exhibition on the Azerbaijani language.

The event featured recitation of the ghazals by Khurshidbanu Natavan, daughter of the last Karabakh khan Mehdigulu Khan Javanshir, the outstanding representative of the 19th century Azerbaijani poetry.

The UNESCO Headquarters also hosted a concert program as part of the celebration of the International Mother Language Day, which brought together about 20 countries, including Azerbaijan.

The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the world since February 21, 2000.