The United Nations' (UN) International Mother Language Day annually celebrates language diversity and variety worldwide on February 21.

Bangladesh had first come up with the idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day. It also remembers events such as the killing of four students on February 21, 1952, because they campaigned to officially use their mother language, Bengali, in Bangladesh. UNESCO approved this initiative of Bangladesh in 1999 at the 30th UNESCO General Conference. The day focuses on how languages hold strategic importance for people and can advance the process of education and development.

The comprehensive development of the native language in our country, its transformation into a working language, finding its way into the system of international relations is the result of the well-thought-out policy of the great leader Heydar Aliyev, a great connoisseur of our language. The foundation of this policy was laid in 1969: Heydar Aliyev spoke in the Azerbaijani language on the 50th anniversary of Baku State University. Not long ago, this language also paved the way for events of state importance. The adoption of the Azerbaijani language as the state language in the 1978 Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR was an important event for that period.

In accordance with the Decree of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev dated August 9, 2001 every year August 1 annually celebrates the Day of Azerbaijani Alphabet and Day of Azerbaijani language.

The adoption of the Law "On the State Language in the Republic of Azerbaijan" on September 30, 2002 was another step towards the use of the Azerbaijani language as the state language, its application, protection and development, meeting the national and cultural self-defense needs of Azerbaijanis around the world. This document is one of the brightest examples of national leader Heydar Aliyev's inexhaustible love and care for our people and its language.

The language policy has been successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. A decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On the carrying out of mass publications in Azerbaijani language with Latin script”, a decree “On the publication of the Azerbaijan National Encyclopedia”, “The State Program on the use of the Azerbaijani language in the context of globalization and the development of linguistics”, a decree "On measures to protect the purity of the Azerbaijani language and further improve the use of the state language", Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On a number of measures to ensure wider use of Azerbaijani language in electronic space”, Order “On approval of the new composition of the State Language Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan” are the most vivid illustrations of the state attention to the Azerbaijani language.