KABUL - Students from Afghanistan and the rest the world are invited to take part in an essay competition that puts their language skills to the test - and may take them to a youth forum at UN Headquarters in New York.  

The third annual ‘Many Languages, One World’ essay contest calls on full-time students aged over 18 to write an original essay of 2,000 words or less discussing global citizenship, cultural understanding and the role that multilingual ability can play in fostering these.   

The essay should reflect the entrants personal, academic, cultural and national context. It must be written in one of the UN’s official languages -- Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

“Start writing now and be a winner,” said UNAMA Spokesperson Dominic Medley. “What a great opportunity for a student from Afghanistan to join others from around the world.”

Sixty entrants – 10 from each language – will be selected and invited to New York to participate in a series of events in late July, including a Global Youth Forum on the theme, ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’.

“It would be fantastic if an Afghan student is a winner,” said Mr. Medley. “They would then be heard at the highest level of the United Nations, and in the 70th anniversary year of Afghanistan joining the UN in 1946.”

The competition is run jointly by the United Nations Academic Impact, a program of the Outreach Division of the UN Department of Public Information, and ELS Educational Services.

The goal of both the essay contest and youth forum is to support multilingualism and to recognize the continued impact of the UN’s six official languages. In 2015, more than 3,500 people from 130 countries took part in the contest.

Contest winners will be provided with roundtrip economy class airfares, while their room, meals and travel in New York will be covered. Before entering, students are advised to familiarize themselves with the full and detailed rules on the contest website. 

Good luck to all Afghan entries from UNAMA.