Official language Hindi | ||
Headquarters Forest side, Curepipe, Mauritius Membership 2 states
India
Mauritius | ||
The World Hindi Secretariat (WHS), (Hindi: विश्व हिन्दी सचिवालय), is the name of an international organisation representing countries and regions where Hindi is the first ("mother") or customary language, where a significant proportion of the population consists of Hindi speakers or where there is a notable affiliation with Indian culture.
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The main objective of the WHS is to promote Hindi as an international language and further its cause for recognition at the United Nations as an Official Language.
Vinod Bala Arun was the first secretary-general of the World Hindi Secretariat. The organisation was set up by the governments of India and Mauritius to promote Hindi across the world.
History
In 2012, a proposal was passed on the concluding day of the Ninth World Hindi Conference in Johannesburg to make Hindi one of the official languages of the UN.
The World Hindi Secretariat was asked to prepare a database of global institutions involved in promotion and teaching of Hindi. A database for Hindi scholars was also asked to be prepared.
Structure
In 2015, prime minister of India, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the secretariat in Mauritius. He also praised Mauritius for promoting Hindi literature.
India's minister for external affairs, Sushma Swaraj said that India has been trying to get 129 votes at the United Nations to make Hindi an official language of the UN.