Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations issued a message to the People of Tomorrow “Let’s work as one 
towards dignity for all”. This message was engraved on a wooden board and mounted as part of One World, the 600 m long bridge at the recreational domain De Schorre designed by Arne Quinze.
Each year, the entire world gathers in one place for Tomorrowland. All nationalities are represented and for three days, Tomorrowland bears a striking resemblance to a meeting of the United Nations, in a colourful, magical world where Peace, Love, Unity and Respect take centre stage. The “People of Tomorrow” all speak the same language: friendship. The thousands of flags attest to their pride in their origins. What they all have in common is an enthusiasm for meeting people from other cultures, experiencing an unforgettable weekend and forging lifelong friendships. Tomorrowland and the United Nations share these values and want to pass on positive messages to the youth of the world.
Quotes:
Michiel Beers, founder Tomorrowland:
“In the past 10 years, we have built a magical world in which everyone comes together in a spirit of positivity. Tomorrowland has become the world’s most international event and welcomes more different nationalities than the Olympic Games. We are now organising three “global gatherings” per year: one in Belgium, one in the USA and one in Brazil.”
Manu Beers, founder Tomorrowland:
“When we decided to design the bridge in honour of the 10th anniversary of the festival in collaboration with the province of Antwerp and Arne Quinze, as a permanent symbol of the annual gathering, we felt it was important for the entire world to be able to take part. The One World bridge now displays 210,000 positive messages from everyone from our neighbours in Boom, Belgium to faraway friends in Australia. We are very honoured to receive the contribution from the Secretary-General of the United Nations and we intend to continue to spread this message for many years to come.”
Quote Mr. Ban Ki-Moon:
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!