The United Nations celebrated its 69th birthday on Oct 24, with renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang performing at a concert as a messenger of peace.

Held in the freshly renovated General Assembly Hall at the UN Headquarters in New York, the concert was hosted by Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin and drew hundreds of guests including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Sam Kutesa.

Performing with Lang Lang was an international youth orchestra representing five continents, assembled especially for the occasion and conducted by Manuel Lopez-Gomez.