UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations marked the Nelson Mandela International Day on Friday, calling for dialogue over hatred, understanding over fear and vengeance, and "unity above all."
Mandela "embodied the values of peace, equality, human rights, and service to others," said Philemon Yang, president of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), when addressing an informal meeting of the UNGA.
In a world still divided by conflict and inequalities, "Mandela's legacy urges us to still choose dialogue over hatred, understanding over fear and vengeance, and unity above all," he said.
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Nelson Mandela Rules -- the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, said the UNGA president.
"These rules are a testament to yet another aspect of Nelson Mandela's legacy: justice and dignity for all, everywhere," he said.
Yang called on the international community to draw strength from Mandela's courage as the UN marks its 80th anniversary.
"Our abiding aim must be to strengthen multilateralism. So that tomorrow's leaders, who will write its next chapters, pick up a mantle of courage, compassion, and hope," Yang stressed.
In his remarks for the Nelson Mandela International Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Mandela's legacy of reconciliation and transformation "continues to inspire and drive us" as the UN celebrates its 80th anniversary.
"We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice and human dignity," he said.
Guterres said at the meeting that one of the central lessons of Mandela's life was that power "is not a personal possession, to be hoarded."
"Power is about lifting others up. It is about what we can achieve with one another, and for one another. Power is about people," Guterres said.
Around the world, human rights and dignity are under threat, not only from conflict and instability, but from systematic inequalities, exclusion, climate disasters, and the rollback of hard-won freedoms, said the UN chief.
"Now is the time to renew our global commitment to the principles that define our organization -- and indeed, the extraordinary life of Nelson Mandela. Freedom. Justice. Equal rights. Solidarity. Reconciliation. Peace," he said.
At the meeting, an award ceremony was held for the 2025 United Nations Nelson Mandela Prize, which is conferred every five years to those who have dedicated their lives to the service of humanity and advancing the purposes and principles of the UN.
This year's laureates are Brenda Reynolds, of Canada, a social worker who has brought a lifetime of lived experience, advocacy and leadership to the forefront of indigenous peoples' health, mental wellness and reconciliation efforts, both in Canada and internationally, and Kennedy Odede, of Kenya, an advocate for social entrepreneurship and community development.
Guterres said both prize winners embody Nelson Mandela's words, which are engraved on their prizes: "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others." ■
