Nelson Mandela International Day

• Nelson Mandela International Day is an annual international day in honour of Nelson Mandela, celebrated each year on 18 July, Mandela’s birthday.

About:

• The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, with the first UN Mandela Day held on 18 July 2010.

• The Day is a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, the ability to make an impact.

Nelson Mandela:

• Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election.

• He also served as Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.

• He was awarded Bharat Ratna (in 1990) and Nobel Peace Prize (in 1993).

• United Nations has recognized the period from 2019 to 2028 as the Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace.

Nelson Mandela Prize 2020:

• The United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize aims to recognize the achievements of those who dedicated their lives to the service of humanity as guided by the UN principles, while honouring Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation, political transition and social transformation.

• It is awarded every five years and was first awarded in 2015.

• No current staff member of any organization of the United Nations system shall be eligible for the Prize.