UN remains ‘beacon for all humanity,’ says world body chief marking its 70th anniversary

“The timeless values of the UN Charter must remain our guide. Our shared duty is to “unite our strength” to serve “we the peoples” he continued.
To mark this anniversary, more than 300 monuments and buildings in more than 75 countries are being illuminated in UN blue from Australia to Azerbaijan, Indonesia to Iraq, Saudi Arabia to South Sudan.
The campaign, called “Turn the World UN Blue,” includes New York City’s Empire State building, which the secretary-general visited today for the lighting ceremony.
“The Empire State Building is one of the most important landmarks in the world,” he told New York City officials and other guests, including Chinese musician Lang Lang.
“The United Nations is the “Parliament of Humanity”. Today we come together,” he continued, noting that the Organization appreciates its “diverse, dynamic host city.”
“As a great New Yorker, Alicia Keys, once sang: “Big lights will inspire you ” let’s hear it for New York, New York” the UN chief exclaimed, adding that he hopes the blue lights will inspire the global community to “build a better future for all.”