The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) hosted a celebration of Russian Language Day as part of strengthening multilateralism and honouring the richness, resilience, and global significance of the Russian language. Organized in collaboration with the Embassy of the Russian Federation and the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Addis Ababa, the event brought together UN staff, diplomats, and members of the Russian community in Ethiopia.

In her opening remarks, Nita Deerpalsing, Director of the Publications, Conference and Knowledge Management Division (PCKMD) at ECA, underlined the cultural and literary heritage of the Russian language, describing it as “a mighty river which for centuries has watered the fertile lands of literature, philosophy, and the human spirit.”

Deerpalsing paid tribute to literary giants such as Aleksandr Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, and Nikolai Gogol, along with philosophers like Vladimir Solovëv and Nikolai Berdyaev, whose contributions have shaped and enriched the Russian language. She noted that their works “resonate far beyond the borders of the Russian Federation, touching the whole world with their depth and humanity.”