Nelson Mandela International Day

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

The Director-General very much regrets that he cannot be here today and sends his best regards. He has asked me to deliver the following remarks on his behalf:

“Ladies and gentlemen:

A warm welcome to the Palais des Nations! Thank you to everyone involved in bringing us together today to honour the enduring legacy of Nelson Mandela.

2018 marks a number of important anniversaries.

100 years ago on this day, Nelson Mandela was born. The towering achievements of his life as much as his tremendous sacrifice fill us with awe and gratitude.

70 years ago, the world’s nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration has profoundly shaped our world. It established the equality and dignity of every human being; it affirmed that human rights are not bound by any single tradition, culture or belief; that they are, literally, universal.

20 years ago, Nelson Mandela, as the first President of South Africa, addressed the General Assembly. In the video just now, we saw excerpts from his powerful speech.

“The very right to be human”, he said standing on the rostrum at UN Headquarters in New York, “is denied every day to hundreds of millions of people as a result of poverty, the unavailability of education and health care.” This “failure to achieve the vision contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, Mandela went on to say, “finds dramatic expression in the contrast between wealth and poverty” which characterizes our world.

Today, two decades since, his words have lost nothing of their power, nor of their urgency. We are still struggling with the same questions - how to promote equality and justice; to uphold freedom and human rights; to end conflict and sectarian war.

It is true of course that if we compare today with either 100, 70 or 20 years ago, we see tremendous progress - in economic opportunity, in literacy, in life-expectancy and well-being for the vast majority of people across the world.

But it is equally true that we today risk sliding backwards into darker times. The return of authoritarian populism, often grounded in ideas of ethnic supremacy, is a direct threat to the equality of every human being. In this time of turbulence and profound anxiety, we are seeing rising conflicts and a declining commitment to international law.

Honoring Mandela’s legacy means pushing back against the resurgent forces of hatred, tyranny, exploitation and violence.

Honoring his legacy means recognizing that human rights must be at the core of our efforts to address inequality, to promote peace and security. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, deeply rooted in respect for human rights and leaving no one behind in its focus on ending poverty, hunger and environmental destruction, aligns with this imperative.

Today and every day, let us be inspired by Mandela’s humanity and humility, his passion and compassion, and his undying conviction in the human spirit and the global good.

All of us have a role to play - at work, in the street, in our daily lives.

This is the path to a world of peace, dignity and opportunity for all.”

These were the words of the Director-General.

Thank you.