For information only - not an official document
UNIS/INF/516
23 October 2015
VIENNA, 23 October (UN Information Service) - The United Nations turns 70 on 24 October. The UN in Vienna and the UN Information Service (UNIS) Vienna is joining the worldwide celebrations that evening to turn iconic landmarks around the world #UNBlue.
The Vienna-based UN Organisations will also take part in an "Open House Day" on 26 October at the Austrian Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs. On the same day, which is Austria's national holiday, there will be a photo opportunity with the Director-General of the UN Office in Vienna, Yury Fedotov, and the Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz. This will also be an opportunity to mark 60 years of Austria's membership in the UN.
Turning the world #UNBlue
On 24 October more than 150 iconic landmarks in more than 45 countries around the world, from Australia's Sydney Opera House to the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and the Empire State Building in New York, will be lit up in #UNBlue. "I am grateful our Member States are showing such strong enthusiasm in marking 70 years of UN support for peace, development and human rights," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "By turning the world UN Blue for a day, we can light the way to a better tomorrow."
The UN in Vienna with UNIS Vienna and their partners are joining the worldwide celebrations by projecting the UN70 logo on to the wall of the Vienna International Centre (UNO City) in Austria, and by illuminating Bratislava Castle and the Mayor's Palace in Bratislava, Slovakia, the Triple Bridge in Ljubljana and Castle Predjama in Postojna, Slovenia, as well as the building of the FAO Regional Office and the 'C' Building of the Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary. All will be illuminated blue - the official colour of the UN.
The hashtags for this global event will be #UNBlue and #UN70. Photos and videos of UN Blue landmarks around the world will be available to media outlets via Flickr ( http://j.mp/UNBluePhotos) and UNIFEED ( http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/unifeed/). More information is available at http://www.un.org/un70/en.
Open House Day at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
At the "Open House Day" on 26 October the Austrian Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, and the UN family in Vienna will jointly celebrate the 70 th anniversary of the United Nations and the 60 th anniversary of Austria's UN membership. During the tours of the Ministry, 12 Vienna-based organizations will present to the visitors how the work of the UN family is connected with their everyday lives. They will also be able to learn about the new Sustainable Development Goals - #GlobalGoals - as well as the history of the United Nations and the UN in Vienna in particular.
There will be a photo opportunity at 11:45, open to the media, with the Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna, Yury Fedotov, and Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz.
The Vienna-based UN organizations present at the Open House Day: the UN Information Service (UNIS) Vienna, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Secretartiat of the Carpathian Convention - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Postal Administration (UNPA), the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL).
Tours of the Ministry will take place from 10:00 to 14:00. The entrance to the Ministry is from Minoritenplatz 8.
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For further information please contact:
Irene
Hoeglinger-Neiva
Public Information Officer, UNIS Vienna
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-4448
Mobile: (+43) 699-1459-4448
Email: irene.hoeglinger-neiva[at]unvienna.org
or
Reka
Furtos
Public Information Officer, UNIS Vienna
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-83019
Mobile: (+43) 699-145-83019
Email: reka.furtos[at]unvienna.org
