UN French Language Day Date in the current year: March 20, 2024

Such date was chosen to commemorate the founding anniversary of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, commonly known as La Francophonie. La Francophonie represents countries and regions where French is the first or customary language; where a significant part of the population are French speakers; where there is an evident affiliation with French culture. UN French Language Day coincides with International Francophonie Day.

French and English were the first working languages of the United Nations. Previously, French had also been one of the official languages of the League of Nations. The French language is the second most widespread language worldwide, the fourth most widely spoken first language in the EU, and the sixth most widely spoken language in the world. It has around 77 million native speakers and the official language of 29 countries. French has a long history as an international language of diplomacy, commerce, scientific standards, and literature.