Unsplash/D.Henry Mandela led the fight against the racist apartheid system in his native South Africa and continued to fight injustice throughout his life. On International Nelson Mandela Day, the UN Secretary General called for the redirection of military resources to peace and development UN
In his address to the General Assembly on Nelson Mandela International Day, the UN Secretary-General said the world faces deepening poverty, inequality and humanitarian crises, and called on states to refocus resources away from military spending and towards peace and development. The message of the head of the UN at the ceremonial meeting of the General Assembly was read out by his chief of staff, Earl Rattray.
The Secretary-General began his address by paying tribute to South Africa’s first democratically elected President, emphasizing how Nelson Mandela became a symbol of peace, justice, dignity and human rights. The UN chief also shared his personal impressions of visiting Mandela’s prison cell on Robben Island, where he spent most of his 27-year imprisonment. According to Anotniu Guterres, he was always amazed by the South African leader’s fortitude, his ability to forgive, and Mandela’s desire for reconciliation.
Fighting Poverty
The Secretary General noted that the theme of this year’s International Mandela Day is dedicated to one of the key problems of our time – poverty and inequality. According to him, the world continues to concentrate wealth in the hands of a small circle of people, while hundreds of millions of people around the world struggle with access to food, water, health care and education. problem.
The UN chief expressed concern about the decline in international aid amid rising global military spending: “It is deeply wrong that we spend more on means of destruction and death than on instruments of development and peace.”
According to him, such an imbalance is not only morally unacceptable, but also economically short-sighted and destabilizing.
The Secretary-General recalled the famous words of Nelson Mandela himself: “Poverty, like slavery and apartheid, cannot be considered a natural phenomenon. It was created by man and can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of people.”
Expanding this idea, the head of the UN emphasized that many modern problems were the result of political choices, and today humanity quite often takes the wrong steps. However, Mandela’s legacy, he said, shows the possibility of a different path.
The need for economic change
In the Secretary-General’s view, defeating poverty and inequality requires the restructuring of economies and social systems. He called for stimulating economic growth in the poorest countries, expanding access to quality education and healthcare, strengthening social safety nets, reforming the international financial architecture and increasing support for developing countries. discrimination.
The Secretary-General concluded his message by emphasizing that progress never happens automatically and requires collective action.
“Let us continue to realize Mandela’s vision of a just, inclusive, equitable and peaceful world,” the UN chief urged.