On Wednesday, May 27th, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited De Schorre, the site at Tomorrowland, to discuss global unity and how the festival embraces forward-looking values. This year, the United Nations is celebrating its 70th year of existence as Tomorrowland celebrates its 10th, and an invitation was extended to Ki-moon at the culmination of the One World Project, a wooden bridge with space for more than 200,000 people to inscribe messages of unity and positivity.

A permanent wooden bridge that will provide a walkway for pedestrians, bikers, and visitors to enjoy year-round, Belgian modern artist Arne Quinze, was tapped to lead the design . Festival creators (and brothers) Manu and Michiel Beers unveiled the installation by presenting Ki-moon with a board displaying the phrase, "Let's Work as One Towards Dignity For All" inscribed. The bridge is just under 600 meters long and has a 25 meter-high statue in the center where Ki-moon's board will be installed. 

The United Nations and Tomorrowland seem an unlikely pair, but Ki-moon noted that the festival reflects several values dear to the United Nations: dignity, respect, diversity and solidarity. An encouraging pair, as the international organization works to promote peace around the world amidst war, civil unrest, poverty and alarming environmental concerns. 

Ki-Moon explains that the UN wants to encourage action and "...let youth lead the way." His  complete speech : 

"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 honored 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!"

Both a physical and metaphorical platform, the bridge represents an opportunity to unite and inspire conversation among those who have the power to mobilize for good. While this electronic music festival mecca is only an annual event, the dream is that the positive values will continue permanently.

Breaking boundaries, one wooden board at a time.