Fact · Languages and accents
A 1986 UN working paper recalls that a UN conference recommended adopting Pinyin as the international system for romanizing Chinese geographical names.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“recommended in resolution No. 8 that Pinyin be adopted as the international system”
On conversion of names into Roman alphabet from other writing systems (Working Paper No. 4, Twelfth Session), Sweden, United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, 1986, Background on romanization decisions (working paper text).
Open the original- What it measures
- Pinyin is the system that writes Mandarin sounds with the Latin alphabet. The paper notes that the United Kingdom and the United States opposed the recommendation.
- What it does not show
- The paper describes a past recommendation about place names. It does not say how Pinyin is used for dictation or typing, and it does not cover other uses of Pinyin.