Photo courtesy of United Nations
Excitement lit up the historic United Nations General assembly Hall on Wednesday as spectators enjoyed the UN Day Concert, "A Message of Peace", featuring Grammy award winner and UN Messenger of Peace, Stevie Wonder, along with a special line up of friends, like the iconic Sting and legendary Paul Simon among many others sharing in the celebration of UN Day, October 24th-marking the UN Charter's entry into force back in 1945.
Calling Stevie Wonder the Messenger of Peace, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon acknowledged the musical legend for using his fame and popularity to support the UN.
"Tonight he gives us the gift of an unforgettable performance in celebration of the UN; preventing wars and promotes peace, the UN that stands up for human rights and works to bring down poverty, hunger, disease and suffering", the UN Chief said.
Mr. Ban called Stevie Wonder the eighth wonder of the world.
Wonder performed some of his greatest hits such as “I Just Called to Say I Love You” live on stage, and called for peace and understanding among all people, saying; "above all we are human".
Sponsored by the United Nations Department of Public Information, Wonder Productions, Centric, and a division of Black Entertainment Television-BET, the concert illustrated through the songs the peace the world needs to see more of today consequently celebrating 67 years of the global family's work for building peace, security, and development.
“Now is the time to raise our collective ambitions. With the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) fast approaching, we must intensify our efforts to reach all of these lifesaving targets. We must prepare a bold and practical post-2015 development agenda. And we must continue to combat intolerance, save people caught in conflicts and establish lasting peace,” The Secretary-General said.
The 90-minute concert also included US performers Valerie Simpson, Wyclef Jean, a South Korean singing group called The Wonder Girls, and several other great artists each and every one uniquely offering their talents in celebration ofthe UN Day honoring the work and values of the UN.
According to the UN, October 24th has been celebrated as the United Nations Day since 1948space along with the UN Day concert as an annual tradition celebrating the occasion. In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly recommended the day to be viewed as a public holiday by member states.