Andorra maintains the tradition of speaking in Catalan at the UN Assembly

NOn Friday, the head of the Government of Andorra, Xavier Espot, will give his speech “in the official language of Andorra, which is Catalan”, sources from the Andorra delegation to the UN told EFE.

The sources recalled that Catalan is the usual working language in all institutions in Andorra and the country’s first language, so it is natural that Xavier Espot gives the speech in this language at the UN, although many Presidents of small countries opt for English in their annual speech to the General Assembly.

However, in work sessions taking place at the UN, Andorra officials tend to use French, as it is one of the organization’s two working languages, along with English.

However, Andorran leaders opt for Spanish in forums where there is a Latin American majority.

Andorra joined the UN after approving the Constitution that governs its Government through a popular referendum. This text has Catalan as the only official language, although French and Spanish are also known and used by the majority of the population.

Òscar Ribas was the first head of the Government of Andorra to give, on July 28, 1993, a speech before the UN General Assembly, the first in Catalan in the history of the organization.

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