European buildings turn blue for UN’s 75th anniversary

GENEVA: More than 150 monuments and buildings across Europe will be lit up blue on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

The UN’s Palais des Nations headquarters in Geneva, the Grand Place in Brussels and Dublin Castle were among the locations set to turn the shade of blue used on the UN flag.

The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945, when the UN Charter, agreed four months earlier, came into force.

Starting out with 51 original members, there are now 193, with South Sudan the latest to join in 2011.

"The United Nations has spanned the decades helping millions of people to escape the yoke of poverty, gain access to education and health, have their fundamental rights respected, and enjoy better livelihoods," it said in a statement.

"It also helped the world avoid a third world conflict -- the main reason it was created -- and remain relatively peaceful."

Locations turning blue included the city halls in Barcelona, Belfast and Copenhagen; cathedrals in Stockholm and Reykjavik; the Jet d’Eau fountain in Geneva; the bridges of Turin; the Peace Palace in The Hague, and the Presidential Palace in Bratislava.