Before an audience of about 150 people of various nationalities, the Portuguese jazz composer and singer based in New York, Sara Serpa, performed alongside guitarist André Matos in a concert that took place at the Consulate-General of Brazil in New York. This was followed by a performance by Brazilian singer Denise Reis who, accompanied by percussionist Fernando Saci, revisited classic Brazilian music themes, as well as originals, in an initiative that was supported by the Instituto Camões and the Instituto Guimarães Rosa. Speaking to Lusa at the end of the musical performance, the Consul-General of Portugal in New York, Luísa Pais Lowe, considered the future of the Portuguese language to be "very auspicious" at a global level. "In the United States, we have growing numbers. The Portuguese language, at all levels of education, is gaining increasing prominence, not only as a heritage language, but as a foreign language. We are working very hard to increase this strength even more," she said. The Consul-General of Brazil in New York, Adalnio Senna Ganem, also highlighted his country's efforts in promoting the language, admitting that the goal is to have Portuguese as one of the official languages of the United Nations, alongside English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian and Arabic. "We have been working hard to expand teaching. The Consulate-General of Brazil in New York has worked mainly with universities in terms of Portuguese as a second language, and with various institutions, non-governmental organizations and schools to promote Portuguese as a heritage language," explained Senna Ganem. "I believe that the future of Portuguese would be to have the language enshrined in the United Nations as one of the official languages. I believe that we have all the legitimacy for this. There are more than 250 million people in the world, on several continents, who speak Portuguese," he argued. Speaking to Lusa, the Deputy Coordinator of Portuguese Teaching in the United States, José Carlos Adão, also assured that the interest of families in Portuguese classes and their certification is increasing in the country, after a "small decrease" during the pandemic. "I also note an increasing interest outside the universe of emigration. And I notice this in terms of requests for nationality and adults who write to me daily asking for Portuguese classes in New York, mainly European Portuguese. Unfortunately, there are not many schools that offer classes for adults, but we have the virtual option, which ends up being the most viable," stressed José Carlos Adão. The Portuguese language is not only one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 260 million speakers spread across all continents, but it is also the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere, according to data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On 25 November 2019, UNESCO ratified the celebration of the World Portuguese Language Day on 5 May, making official the proposal presented by the Portuguese-speaking countries. Read Also: More than 70 heads of state and government at the Conference for Peace (Portuguese version)