UNITED NATIONS, Jul 18 (APP):Marking Nelson Mandela International Day honouring the first democratically elected President of South Africa, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Saturday issued a powerful call to action emphasizing that combatting systemic poverty and inequality is "still in our hands". In a message, the UN chief highlighted that ending poverty is not merely charity, but an act of fundamental justice and human rights. Guterres observed that while wealth accumulates …
Still in our hands’: UN chief issues urgent Mandela Day call to eradicate poverty
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 18 (APP):Marking Nelson Mandela International Day honouring the first democratically elected President of South Africa, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Saturday issued a powerful call to action emphasizing that combatting systemic poverty and inequality is “still in our hands”.
In a message, the UN chief highlighted that ending poverty is not merely charity, but an act of fundamental justice and human rights.
Guterres observed that while wealth accumulates disproportionately among a fortunate few, millions face severe barriers to basic needs like food, shelter, water, and education.
He noted that hard-won progress in poverty eradication has been stalled by conflicts, economic shocks, and climate disasters.
Drawing on Mandela’s legacy, the Secretary-General urged global citizens to use their time—symbolically the traditional 67 minutes of public service—to help build inclusive, fair, and peaceful societies
Meanwhile, at an observance, tributes were paid to the life and legacy of the late Nelson Mandela, whose long walk to freedom during the racist apartheid era inspired people across the planet.
Mandela spent nearly three decades in prison for standing up to human rights abuses and severe injustices against black South Africans. He died in December 2013.
A former UN General Assembly President, Dennis Francis, said his visionary leadership not only brought an end to apartheid but continues to resonate and inspire even to the present day.
“His enduring legacy left an indelible mark upon the world – and is a testament to the profound positive impact of humanity’s good deeds, when we opt to be our best of being,” said Francis, speaking in the Trusteeship Council at UN Headquarters in New York.
“This is what we precisely need – more than ever before – to confront division, hate and prevent the avoidable strife we see in places like the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and elsewhere around the world.”
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who built on Guterres’s statements, recalled that Mandela wrote in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, that poverty is not an accident like slavery and apartheid. Instead, it is man-made, meaning that humans can eradicate it.
She said action so far has not been enough, as the latest UN Sustainable Development Goals report reveals that an additional 23 million people were pushed into extreme poverty in 2022, and over 100 million are suffering from hunger than just five years ago.
Ms. Mohammed stressed that the news is not all bad as progress has been made in boosting renewable energy, getting more people online, and in the number of girls completing school.
“Yet overall, we know that we’re failing to deliver on the promise and the hope of the Sustainable Development Goals. We can blame the lingering impacts of COVID 19, escalating conflicts, geopolitical tensions and growing climate chaos, but if we look deeper, it is our choices that have led us here,” she said, calling for recommitment to achieving the SDGs.
