United Nations Day 2020: World Body's 75th Anniversary Goes Virtual

The United Nations (U.N.) went virtual this year to honor and celebrate its 75th anniversary, which falls Saturday.

Every year, Oct. 24 has been celebrated as U.N. Day since the organization was founded in 1945 after World War II. Typically, the organization marks the day with various activities such as an annual concert at the General Assembly (GA) Hall.

However, given the current situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concert was a pre-recorded virtual event, much like the 75th U.N. General Assembly where South Korean boyband BTS shared a "message of hope."

The anniversary concert was screened at the GA Hall on Thursday at 1.15 p.m. EST. It was also streamed live via various platforms including YouTube and Facebook.

With the theme "Reimagine, Rebalance, Restart: recovering together for our shared humanity," the concert included various performances that capture the organization's "commitment to cooperation, multilateralism and solidarity," the U.N. said.

"I hope today's concert will inspire us towards the global solidarity that is needed so urgently at this unprecedented time," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said.

The U.N. has also launched a virtual exhibit of the 75 images that won #TheWorldWeWant global photo contest, which offered people from across the world a chance to share a single photo of their vision of the future that they want for themselves and future generations.

In total, people from 130 countries participated, uploading over 51,000 photos, the U.N. said in a press release about the contest. Apart from the online exhibit, there is also a physical exhibit of the winning photos outside the U.N. Headquarters as well as inside the Visitors Lobby.

In a statement on U.N. Day 2020, the organization noted the "urgency" for nations to come together today has "rarely been greater."

"The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and its founding Charter. This anniversary comes in a time of great disruption for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with severe economic and social impacts," the organization said. "But it is also a reminder that times of struggle can become an opportunity for positive change and transformation."