By TIOL News Service

NEW YORK, MAR 30, 2014: IT was "lights out" for the United Nations last evening as the Organization shut off the lights at its iconic Headquarters complex in New York and other facilities around the world in observance of "Earth Hour," an annual global event raising awareness about the need to take action on climate change and promoting sustainable energy consumption.

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour encourages individuals, companies, organizations and Governments throughout the world to switch off their lights for one hour at 8:30 p.m., local time worldwide (Many cities in India also switched off the light as per the UN Convention).

The event also recognizes that everyone's involvement is needed in order to make a collective impact and take accountability for their ecological footprint.

Coming in the lead-up to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's climate summit this September, Earth Hour aims to focus attention on the need for climate action. This is a message Mr. Banbrought back from his visit earlier this week to Greenland, where he travelled to the Ilulissat Icefjord and witnessed first-hand the alarming impacts of the climate change phenomenon.

Speaking to reporters yesterday in New York, he said the fjord's icebergs and glaciers there were melting rapidly. "The effects of global warming -- melting glaciers, extreme weather patterns and rising sea levels -- are starting to seriously threaten the livelihoods [of Greenland's people]," the UN chief said, calling on world leaders to come to the climate summit with "strong political will."

For the last few years, the UN Headquarters in New York, its offices in Geneva and many other UN facilities around the world have joined other international landmarks participating in Earth Hour. This year, the UN went the extra mile and turned off all non-essential lights at its NY campus for three hours, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., local time.

All UN staff members around the world were invited to take part both in their offices and homes to demonstrate the UN's commitment to support action on climate change, one of the top priorities of the Organization.