The international community commemorates Nelson Mandela’s birthday on Monday 18 July 2022. The first black president of South Africa, he was an ardent defender of human rights and a leading figure in the anti-apartheid struggle. His commitment to promoting peace in a divided South Africa, his sacrifices and interventions in the resolution of several crises around the world have earned him the honour of the United Nations. On all continents, Nelson Mandela is a role model.
67 years of sacrifices for peace.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela would be 104 years old on Monday 18 July 2022. A former president and the first black leader of the Rainbow Nation, he was born on 18 July 1918. Also known by his tribal name Madida, he came to power in 1994, following the country’s first non-racial national elections, which he was instrumental in making possible. Nelson Mandela was one of the key figures in the fight againstapartheidand remains a world-famous symbol of the struggle against racism. His relentless struggle earned him 27 years in prison, but also the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. On 5 December 2013, the so-called ‘Father of the South African Nation’ joined his forebears at the age of 95.
Tributes from UN Secretary General António Guterres.
“Today the world pays tribute to a giant of our time, a man of unparalleled courage, a leader of prodigious achievement; a man of serene dignity and profound humanity.
Nelson Mandela has healed the wounds of entire communities and guided entire generations. For all of us, he remains a moral benchmark, a reference. Madiba walked the path to freedom and dignity with steely determination, but also with compassion and love.
Nelson Mandela International Day is proclaimed by UNESCO on 10 November 2009. It is celebrated for the first time on 18 July 2010 on the occasion of her 92nd birthday. The celebration of this day is also a call to every citizen of the world to symbolically dedicate sixty-seven minutes of their time to a work in the service of the community. This is in memory of the sixty-seven years that Mandela dedicated to his struggle for social justice, equality, reconciliation and cultural diversity.
