From Australia to Azerbaijan, Indonesia to Iraq, Saudi Arabia to India, more than 300 monuments, landscapes, museums, bridges and other landmarks across more than 75 countries were lit up in ‘UN blue’ to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations and commemorate UN Day.
The Sydney Opera House was one of the first buildings to light up the sky on Friday night with the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the Empire State Building in New York, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and Westminster Hall in the United Kingdom following suit.
The opera house and many other landmarks and buildings will light up again on Saturday night.
“I am grateful our member states are showing such strong enthusiasm in marking 70 years of UN support for peace, development and human rights,” UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said.
“By turning the world UN Blue for a day, we can light the way to a better tomorrow.”
The Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the Organization officially came into being.
“The timeless values of the UN Charter must remain our guide. Our shared duty is to ‘unite our strength’ to serve ‘we the peoples,’” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day.
“To mark this anniversary, monuments and buildings across the world are being illuminated in UN blue. As we shine a light on this milestone anniversary, let us reaffirm our commitment to a better and brighter future for all.”
Among the famous landmarks taking part in the #TurntheWorldUNBlue campaign will be the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Great Wall of China, Russia’s Hermitage Museum, and the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.
In India, Mumbai’s famous Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was immersed in blue light on Friday to celebrate the day.
The UN has requested that all UNESCO world heritage sites be lit with blue light on Saturday to mark the event. CST is among the world heritage sites and was quite a sight to behold with the illumination.
Take a look at some of the photos from around the world:
