Which of the above statements is/are correct? 21st February is declared to be the International Mother Language Day by UNICEF? The demand that Bangla has to be one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan? [2021]

Consider the following statements:

21st February is declared to be the International Mother Language Day by UNICEF.
The demand that Bangla has to be one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.

International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. The UN General Assembly welcomed the proclamation of the day in its resolution of 2002.

UNESCO is a specialized agency of the UN founded in 1945.
It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, Science and Culture.
It is headquartered in Paris, France.
Major Initiatives of UNESCO: Man and Biosphere Programme
- World Heritage Programme
- Global Geopark Network
- Network of Creative Cities
- Atlas of World Languages in Danger
Reports: UNESCO Science Report
- Global Education Monitoring Report
- State of the Education Report for India

The demand for recognizing Bangla as one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. Dhirendranath Dutta, a member of the assembly, argued on 25th February 1948 that Bangla, spoken by the majority in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), should be recognized as a national language alongside Urdu.

UNESCO is responsible for language, culture, and education, making it the natural authority for declaring International Mother Language Day. In contrast, UNICEF primarily focuses on child welfare and humanitarian work, making it unlikely to declare an international language day. Hence, Statement 1 can be eliminated.
Statement 2 can be identified as correct because language demands typically arise during constitution-making processes. Since the issue relates to national language status, it is logical that such a demand would be raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. This aligns with the historical context of the Bengali Language Movement, making Statement 2 reasonable and correct.