More than 180 iconic buildings and landmarks across Europe are turning UN Blue on 24 October 2020, the UN Day, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the organisation.

The initiative, “Turn Europe UN Blue”, will see monuments, bridges, city halls and museums light up in the official colour of the United Nations to mark the day, which this year is the 75th anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter.

“We face colossal challenges.  With global solidarity and cooperation, we can overcome them.  That’s what the United Nations is all about.  On this anniversary, I ask people everywhere to join together.  The United Nations not only stands with you… The United Nations belongs to you and is you: “we the peoples”,” says United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

The pan-European campaign, in a continent where many of the UN’s founding members are located, was launched by the UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC) with the support of UN Under-Secretary-General Fabrizio Hochschild, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Commemoration of the United Nations 75th anniversary.

“We hope this initiative will help remind us of the universal value of peace, sustainable development and human rights in these uncertain times,” says UN Under-Secretary-General Fabrizio Hochschild, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Commemoration of the United Nations 75th anniversary.

Among the confirmed participating buildings:
•    Town Hall, Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium
•    European institutions: European Commission Berlaymont, EEAS, European Council, Brussels, Belgium
•    UN buildings: Palais des Nations, Geneva; UN Tower, Bonn; The Peace Palace, The Hague; UN City, Copenhagen; UNESCO, Paris
•    Centre Mondial de la Paix, Verdun, France
•    Bridges over the river Po, Turin, Italy
•    City Hall, Madrid, Spain
•    National Palace of Ajuda, Lisbon, Portugal
•    COP 26 Building “SSE Hydro”, Glasgow, United Kingdom
•    Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland
•    Cathedral, Reykjavik, Iceland
•    Petrin Lookout Tower, Prague, Czechia
•    Stari Most, Old bridge of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

To view the full list of participating buildings as well as photos of the illuminations, please visit: https://unric.org/en/un75-europe-turns-un-blue/

Follow the conversation on social media using the hashtags #EuropeTurnsUNBlue and #UN75. For further information, please contact: deskxxx@unric.org