Chinese pianist Lang Lang poses for a photo after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon symbolically turned on a switch at Empire State Building for the UN Blue campaign in New York, Oct. 23, 2015. From the Sydney Opera House in Australia to the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, more than 200 of the world's most iconic landmarks will be lit United Nations blue when the sun sets on Oct. 24 to mark the 70th birthday of the global organization. [Photo: Xinhua]

To mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the world body held a commemorative concert featuring Lang Lang, a renowned Chinese pianist, in the United Nations General Assembly Hall on Friday.

Asian pop songs, Western classical scores and gospel music filled the General Assembly Hall as the UN celebrated its birth seven decades ago.

The concert was organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information in collaboration with South Korea's permanent mission to the UN and the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

Lang, United Nations messenger of peace, performed with South Korean artists, while five children from different countries expressed their wishes for the world in both their mother tongues and English.

The Chinese pianist, who has been a goodwill ambassador of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for over 10 years, was selected by the UN chief as a United Nations messenger of peace in 2013 with a focus on a key UN priority: to get into classrooms 57 million children around the world who are currently not receiving an education.

On Saturday, the United Nations Day will be observed, which marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter of the United Nations in 1945, which symbolized the birth of the UN.

"The United Nations works for the entire human family of 7 billion people, and cares for the Earth, our one and only home," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message to mark the UN Day.

"As we shine a light on this milestone anniversary, let us reaffirm our commitment to a better and brighter future for all," he added.

As part of the UN Day celebration and the "Turn the World UN Blue" campaign, the United Nations General Assembly Hall and Secretariat Building will be awash in blue, the official color of the UN, on Friday and Saturday.

Worldwide, some 300 sites around the globe will be lit in "UN blue" beginning on Friday, in the campaign to unite global citizens and promote the message of peace, development and human rights.

The United Nations Day, marked annually on Oct. 24, is dedicated to the UN's global efforts and achievements since its founding on this date in 1945.