The top half of the Burj Khalifa went dark last night. Photo / Dubai Media Office Twitter
The top half of the Burj Khalifa went dark last night. Photo / Dubai Media Office Twitter
The top half of the Burj Khalifa went dark last night. Photo / Dubai Media Office Twitter
The top half of the Burj Khalifa went dark last night. Photo / Dubai Media Office Twitter

Here's why half of the Burj Khalifa's lights were switched off last night


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The Burj Khalifa is known to light up for special occasions, but on Tuesday night it was lights off in Downtown Dubai in honour of a special cause.

The world's tallest building switched off the top half of its lights to symbolise what happens when the world ignores and excludes half of its population, women. This is part of the UN's More Powerful Together campaign, which is run by the HeForShe initiative.

HeForShe is a UN initiative that "invites people around the world to stand together to create a bold, visible force for gender equality." Senior Advisor to the Under-Secretary-General of UN Women Elizabeth Nyamayaro heads up HeForShe, and actress Emma Watson is an ambassador.

Other landmarks that made the statement last night include The Capitol in Washington:

The University of Sydney Quad building:

And New York's Empire State Building:

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