ATHENS, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Acropolis of Athens was illuminated on Wednesday in blue, the color of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), to mark the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child signed on Nov. 20, 1989, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
According to the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Central Archaeological Council had approved a request by UNICEF's branch in Greece to light up the monument in support of UNICEF's work and aims.
The ministry's statement noted that Acropolis is joining other iconic world monuments and buildings this year, including the European Parliament in Brussels, Shanghai Tower in China, the Pantheon in Paris and Petra in Jordan, that are all lit up in blue to promote the work of the organization and raise public awareness of children's rights.
"It is a perfectly justified action, as the Acropolis Monument, and especially the Parthenon, over the years has become an internationally recognized symbol of the global ideas and values that formed the foundations on which the United Nations was formed. It is a monument of great unifying and symbolic power, far beyond the boundaries of temporal interests and purposes," Greek Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni was quoted by AMNA.
World Children's Day is celebrated on Nov. 20 each year to promote awareness for children's rights and improve their welfare worldwide. Nov. 20 is also the date when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, an international agreement setting out the rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities.
There are now more than 72,000 refugees and migrants stranded in Greece, Cyprus and the Balkans, including more than 22,500 children, according to UNICEF.
