The tree planted in memory of Anne Frank outside the UN headquarters in New York City. Photo: YouTube screenshot.

A tree was planted outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City in honor of Anne Frank on Wednesday, which would have been her 90th birthday had she survived the Holocaust.

The sapling, donated to the UN by the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, is a descendant of the horse chestnut tree that grew outside the building in Amsterdam where the Frank family hid in the attic from the Nazis from 1942 to 1944, according to a commemorative plaque placed in front of the tree.

The plaque also read, “The tree is a living tribute to the legacy of Anne Frank and a reminder to educate against hatred and racism,” and included a quote from Frank: “Nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

The United Nations said on Instagram that the tree was also planted in memory of the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust.

Catherine Pollard, UN under-secretary for the General Assembly, said at the tree’s unveiling ceremony, “The tree into which the sapling will grow will stand as a beacon of hope. A living reminder of the importance of continuing the work for a just and peaceful world.”

The Frank family was discovered after two years in hiding and Anne, along with her sister Margot, died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Anne was 15 years old.