World turns UN blue on 70th anniversary of United Nations
On 24 October, more than 200 iconic monuments, buildings, museums, bridges and other landmarks in nearly 60 countries around the world will be lit up in UN blue – the official color of the United Nations, as part of a global campaign to commemorate UN Day and the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.
World famous landmarks from Australia’s Sydney Opera House to the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, from the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro to the Empire State Building in New York, will be lit blue. Other participants include the Great Wall of China, Russia’s Hermitage Museum, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, Edinburgh Castle and Central Hall Westminster in the United Kingdom, Japan’s SkyTree Tower and the Alhambra in Spain, among many others.
The global celebration will kick off at UN Headquarters in New York on 23 October and be followed by New Zealand and then Australia with the lighting of the Sydney Opera House at dusk, and from there a wave of UN Blue will move across countries and continents as monuments around the world take part in the international event.