MANHATTAN: On 18 July every year, United Nations invite the people all over the globe to mark Nelson Mandela International Day by making a difference in their communities.
Nelson Mandela stated: “It surely must be one of the great ironies of our age that this august Assembly is addressed, for the first time in its 49 years, by a South African Head of State drawn from among the African majority of what is an African country. Future generations will find it strange in the extreme that it was only so late in the 20th century that it was possible for our delegation to take its seat in the Assembly, recognized both by our people and the nations of the world as the legitimate representative of the people of our country. It is indeed a most welcome thing that this august Organization will mark its 50th anniversary next year with the apartheid system having been vanquished and consigned to the past.
“That historic change has come about not least because of the great efforts in which the UN engaged to ensure the suppression of the apartheid crime against humanity. In all we do, we have to ensure the healing of the wounds inflicted on all our people across the great dividing line imposed on our society by centuries of colonialism and apartheid. We must ensure that color, race and gender become only a God-given gift to each one of us and not an indelible mark or attribute that accords a special status to any. We must work for the day when we, as South Africans, see one another and interact with one another as equal human beings and as part of one nation united, rather than torn asunder, by its diversity.
“The road we shall have to travel to reach this destination will by no means be easy. All of us know how stubbornly racism can cling to the mind and how deeply it can infect the human soul. Where it is sustained by the racial ordering of the material world, as is the case in our country, that stubbornness can multiply a hundred-fold. And yet however hard the battle will be, we will not surrender. Whatever the time it will take, we will not tire. The very fact that racism degrades both the perpetrator and the victim commands that, if we are true to our commitment to protect human dignity, we fight on until victory is achieved.”
Secretary General António Guterres on the Nelson Mandela International Day maintained: “Nelson Mandela International Day is an opportunity to reflect on the life and legacy of a legendary global advocate for dignity, equality, justice and human rights. Each year, on this day, Nelson’s Mandela’s birthday, we pay tribute to this extraordinary man who embodied the highest aspirations of the United Nations and the human family. He calls for solidarity and an end to racism are particularly relevant today, as social cohesion around the world is threatened by division. Societies are becoming more polarized, with hate speech on the rise and misinformation blurring the truth, questioning science and undermining democratic institutions.
“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made these ills more acute and rolled back years of progress in the global fight against poverty. As always in times of crises, it is the marginalized and discriminated against who suffer the most, often while being blamed for problems they did not cause. The pandemic has shown the vital importance of human solidarity and unity, values championed and exemplified by Nelson Mandela in his lifelong fight for justice. No one is safe until all are safe. And each of us has a part to play. Let us be inspired by the message that each of us can make a difference in promoting peace, human rights, harmony with nature and dignity for all. Let us all honor his call to action and be empowered by his legacy.”
UN believes that everyone has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better and Mandela Day is an occasion for all to attempt to bring bout a change.
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