Inscribing Peace Message, Secretary-General Says ‘Tomorrowland’ Music Festival, One World Bridge Demonstrate Importance of Creativity in Building Safer World

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the event for the “Tomorrowland” music festival, in Brussels today:

I would like to thank you for your invitation to carve a message of peace on behalf of the United Nations on the One World Bridge.

I am honoured and very much touched by this carving of my name.  I hope this will remind many people who will be seeing [this] and participating of the work of the United Nations, working as one to promote and protect human dignity for all people.

This bridge — and indeed, the Tomorrowland festival in general — symbolizes some of the core values the United Nations strives to uphold every day around the world:  dignity, respect, diversity and solidarity.

In that spirit, I have decided that my message for the bridge will be this:  “Let’s work as one towards dignity for all.”

Both the festival and the bridge show the huge importance of thinking creatively about how to build a safer, more prosperous and sustainable world.

It is exciting to think that two months from now, nearly 200,000 young people and music fans from almost every country in the world will come together at the Tomorrowland festival to celebrate life through the unifying force of music.

Let’s work as one towards dignity for all, and let youth lead the way.  I thank you.