Mandela’s Legacy Now Rests with Us All, Says UN Chief at 2025 Mandela Day Ceremony

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on the global community to uphold the legacy of former South African President Nelson Mandela, declaring that the responsibility to advance his vision of peace, justice, and dignity now rests with the world.

Guterres made the call on Friday, July 19, during a commemorative event for the 2025 Nelson Mandela International Day at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where he also presented the prestigious 2025 Nelson Mandela Prize.

“Madiba endured the brutal weight of oppression and emerged not with vengeance, but with a vision of reconciliation, peace, and unity,” Guterres said, referring to Mandela by his Xhosa clan name. “Today, Madiba’s legacy is now our responsibility. We must carry forward his commitment to peace, justice, and human dignity.”

This year’s Mandela Prize was awarded to Brenda Reynolds of Canada and Kennedy Odede of Kenya, in recognition of their extraordinary efforts to combat poverty and inequality—echoing Mandela’s lifelong advocacy.

Brenda Reynolds, a Saulteaux member from Fishing Lake First Nation in Canada, was honoured for her decades-long work in promoting Indigenous rights, mental health, and trauma-informed care. In her speech, she drew parallels between the histories of oppression in South Africa and Indigenous communities in Canada.

She recounted her role in supporting 17 teenage girls in Canada’s first residential school sexual abuse case in 1988, which later led to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history. Her work helped shape national survivor support and trauma recovery systems, and she went on to serve as a special adviser to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Kennedy Odede, raised in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, went from street child to global changemaker. Named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2024, Odede founded Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO)—now Kenya’s largest grassroots movement.

In his moving acceptance speech, Odede shared a defining childhood memory: “At 10, I stole a mango because I was starving. A mob came to beat me. One man stepped in and paid for the fruit. That act of grace changed my life.”

That moment inspired him to save his factory wages to buy a soccer ball and start organizing his community. SHOFCO now provides services to over four million people annually across Kenya, empowering local groups and driving social transformation.

“Mandela showed us that leadership is not reserved for the powerful,” Odede said. “It belongs to anyone willing to serve.”

The 2025 Mandela Day theme focused on global action to end poverty and inequality—values that Mandela championed throughout his life and which continue to inspire new generations of changemakers.