© Nelson Mandela Foundation/Matthew Willman
UN Secretary-General’s Message for 2021
Video message by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, on the occasion of Nelson Mandela International Day 2021.
“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.
Madiba’s 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.
18 July 2013 © UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
No one is safe until all are safe. And each of us has a part to play.
Let us be inspired by Madiba’s message that each of us can make a difference in promoting peace, human rights, harmony with nature and dignity for all.
Let us all honour Madiba’s call to action and be empowered by his legacy.
António Guterres
LEARN MORE:
Radio Programme
Looking back at the struggle against apartheid and the campaign for Mandela’s release in which the United Nations played an important role — special programme for the first commemorative Mandela Day in 2010.
What is Mandela Day?
On 18 July every year, we invite you to mark Nelson Mandela International Day by making a difference in your communities. Everyone has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better! Mandela Day is an occasion for all to take action and inspire change.
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67 years in service of humanity
Nelson Mandela devoted his life to the service of humanity — as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.
How did the day come about?
November 2009 – in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom, UN General Assembly declares 18 July “Nelson Mandela International Day”. Resolution A/RES/64/13 recognizes Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity in: conflict resolution; race relations; promotion and protection of human rights; reconciliation; gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups; the fight against poverty; the promotion of social justice. The resolution acknowledges his contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.
Nelson Mandela Rules
December 2015 – the General Assembly decides to extend the scope of Nelson Mandela International Day to also be utilized in order to promote humane conditions of imprisonment, raise awareness about prisoners being a continuous part of society, and to value the work of prison staff as a social service of particular importance.
General Assembly resolution A/RES/70/175 not only adopted the revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, but also approved that they should be known as the “Nelson Mandela Rules” in order to honour the legacy of the late President of South Africa, who spent 27 years in prison in the course of his struggle referred to above.
more on the Mandela Rules >>
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Baher Kamal
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 
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