To mark World Children’s Day, buildings and landmarks in Skopje on Friday will be lighting up blue as a symbolic gesture of their commitment to advance the rights of children.

The Government, Parliament, EU Delegation, UNICEF, Ministry of Education and Science, Archaeological Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, the Italian Embassy and private sector partners Ramstore Mall and HalkBank are among those joining the initiative, UNICEF said in a press release.

Every year on 20 November – to mark the signing of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child – the world celebrates World Children’s Day with buildings, monuments and landmarks across the globe lighting up blue.

In 2019 notable landmarks included the European Parliament in Brussels, Panthéon in France, Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Peace Palace in the Hague, Rashtrapati Bhavan in India, Petra in Jordan, The Bridges on the Bosphorus in Turkey and many more.

This year, World Children’s Day is taking place during one of the most unique and challenging moments in our history. The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the deep inequalities in our societies with children at risk of becoming the hidden victims.

With this in mind, UNICEF is calling on governments, communities and businesses to mark the Day as a major moment and opportunity to listen to how children and young people want to reimagine the future.

Building on the success of the 2019 first-ever national #KidsTakeover when young people opened a discussion with government Ministers on issues affecting their life, on November 20, together with the Government and the Delegation of the European Union in North Macedonia, UNICEF will support a second national #KidsTakeover focusing on one of the most pressing issues affecting children: Reimagine Quality Education and Building Back Education Better post COVID-19, press release reads.