World to turn blue to mark UN’s 70th anniversary

Around 200 iconic monuments and buildings around the world, from Australia’s Sydney Opera House to the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt will be lit up blue the official colour of the UN as part of a global campaign to mark the 70th anniversary of the world body.

“This is an initiative led by the (UN Department of Public Information) and has had tremendous support from governments, cities, mayors, and locally in many countries (from) information centres, to ensure this collaborative public awareness of the UN Day,” Under-Secretary-General for Public Information Cristina Gallach told reporters at a press conference here yesterday.

Gallach said iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, the Great Pyramids, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and the Empire State Building in the city will be lit blue to mark the UN Day on October 24.

Other sites will include Russia’s Hermitage Museum, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, Edinburgh Castle and Westminster Hall in the UK, Table Mountain in South Africa, Japan’s SkyTree Tower and the Alhambra in Spain, among many others. However, there is no Indian monument in the list of the 200 global iconic buildings that will be tiring blue to mark the day.