New York-based UN headquarters celebrates Diwali for the first time

New York, October 30

The United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York, celebrated Diwali for the first time.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had earlier on December 29, 2014, acknowledged the significance of Diwali and adopted a resolution to avoid holding meetings on this day.

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India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, shared an image of the brightly-lit UN building and thanked UNGA President Peter Thompson on Twitter for the initiative.

Extending his greetings, Thompson said, “Light over darkness, hope over despair, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil–the UN lights up. Happy Diwali!” From this year onwards, Diwali was made an optional holiday for the UN. ANI