In honor of the centenary of the birth of the South African anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela, the UN held a high-level session to commemorate his legacy.
On 24 September, a day before the start of the General Debate of the 73rd session of the General Assembly, the UN convened the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, which was focused on global peace.
Global leaders in attendance included:
• Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly
• Mr. António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
• Mr. Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union
• Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa
• Mr. Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister of Ireland
• Ms. Graça Machel, member of The Elders
• Mr. Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International
This Peace Summit offered the opportunity for world leaders to renew their commitment to global peace, conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, promotion and protection of human rights and long-term development initiatives as called for by the Secretary-General. The Peace Summit also adopted a political declaration, to reaffirm the values of Nelson Mandela.
According to the UN Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres, “We need to face the forces that threaten us with the wisdom, courage, and fortitude that Nelson Mandela embodied.”