Let us all continue to be inspired by Nelson Mandela by United Nations News & agencies 3:45pm 6th Dec, 2013   December 5, 2013    Nelson Mandela, South Africa"s first black president who helped lead the country"s revolution out of the brutal apartheid system, died Thursday at his home at the age of 95.    South African President Jacob Zuma, said "Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost their father."    Mr Mandela - who was often referred to in his home country by his clan name Madiba - passed away peacefully at his Johannesburg home.    South African president Jacob Zuma announced the news of Mandela"s death.    "Fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Rohlihla Mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation, has departed," he said in a nationally televised address.    "Our people have lost a father. Although we knew this day was going to come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss.    "His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, passion and humanity, earned him their love."    US president Barack Obama said he considered himself among the "countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela"s life", and the world was unlikely to see the likes of him again.    "He achieved more than could be expected of any man and today he"s gone home and we"ve lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us, he belongs to the ages," Mr Obama said.    "Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a president embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better.    "His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. The fact that he did it all with grace and good humour and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections only makes the man that much more remarkable."    United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, extolled the life of the late human rights lawyer, prisoner of conscience, international peacemaker and first democratically-elected President of post-apartheid South Africa as an inspiration for all.    “Nelson Mandela was a giant for justice and a down-to-earth human inspiration,” Mr. Ban said at UN Headquarters in New York.    “On behalf of the United Nations, I extend my deepest condolences to the people of South Africa and especially to Nelson Mandela’s family, and indeed our global family.”    Mr. Ban noted that many people worldwide were greatly influenced by Mr. Mandela’s selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom.    “Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world and within each one of us – if we believe, dream and work together for justice and humanity,” said the Secretary-General. “His moral force was decisive in dismantling the system of apartheid,” said Mr. Ban.    “He emerged from 27 years of detention without rancour, determined to build a new South Africa based on dialogue and reconciliation.”    Mr. Mandela devoted his life to the service of his people and humanity, and he did so at great personal sacrifice.    “Let us continue each day to be inspired by his lifelong example and his call to never cease working for a better and more just world.”    The Nelson Mandela Foundation, The Nelson Mandela Children"s Fund and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation expressed their sadness at the death of Nelson Mandela.    "No words can adequately describe this enormous loss to our nation and to the world.    We give thanks for his life, his leadership, his devotion to humanity and humanitarian causes. We salute our friend, colleague and comrade and thank him for his sacrifices for our freedom. The three charitable organisations that he created dedicate ourselves to continue promoting his extraordinary legacy.    "Hamba Kahle Madiba," (Go well Madiba) the three foundations said.    Nelson Mandela"s family released its first official statement since the death of the former South African president expressing their "grave sadness".    A spokesman for the Mandela family, Themba Templeton Matanzima, described Mandela as a son of the soil and a caring family leader.    "As a family, we"ll take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the people of South Africa and the world, for all the love and support we have experienced," he said. "Tata (father) is gone.    "His presence was like a baobab tree that provided a comforting shade that served as protection and security for us.    "The pillar of the family is gone, just as he was away during that 27 painful years of imprisonment."    Mr Matanzima spoke of the family"s "grave sadness" and described the departed statesman as a caring family leader who made time equally for people rich and poor, great and small.    He praised Mandela for remaining humble despite having attained the status of international icon.    "We have lost a great man, a son of the soil, whose greatness in our family was in the simplicity of his nature," he said.    http://www.mandela.gov.za/mandela_quotes/index.html    Nelson Mandela International Day, in New York, 18 July, 2013. (UN News)    This year’s commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day comes as the globally revered Madiba remains in hospital. At this difficult time, our thoughts are with Mr. Mandela, his family and all the people of South Africa. We are united in concern. We are also joined in admiration for a towering figure in the worldwide fight for equality and justice, a model of compassion and integrity, a man who took on and then gracefully relinquished the responsibility of power.    Nelson Mandela is a giant of our times. He gave 67 years of his life to the struggle for human rights. On this International Day, the United Nations and the Mandela Foundation are calling on people around the world to devote at least 67 minutes of their time today to community service.    Today and every day, we want to mobilize the human family to take action, inspire change and build a more peaceful, sustainable and equitable world.    The animating spirit of this Day is good works for people and the planet. This is the best tribute we can pay to an extraordinary man who embodies the highest values of humanity. Nelson Mandela has done as much as anyone to shape the very conscience of the international community.    Now, in the twilight of an extraordinary life, we send our prayers his way and give thanks that we have had the privilege of sharing some of his 95 years with him. Let us all continue to be inspired by Nelson Mandela.    Mr Mandela will spend his 95th birthday in hospital, as admirers around the world honour his legacy with millions of acts of kindness.    In November, 2009, the United Nations General Assembly passed a consensus resolution declaring July the 18th - that day he was born - Nelson Mandela International Day. The resolution, co-sponsored by 165 countries, recognized the values and the dedication of Madiba to the service of humanity, and designated the day"s observance each July beginning in 2010.    http://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay/    17 July, 2013    Mr Mandela was admitted into a Pretoria hospital on June 8 with a recurrent lung infection. His condition has since been described as critical but stable.    Groups of preschoolers and their teachers sang the South African national anthem and chanted Mr Mandela"s name as they rallied at the hospital’s, main entrance.    Nelson Mandela"s wife has thanked members of the public for supporting the ailing anti-apartheid icon, saying they have eased "the burden of anxiety".    Graca Machel says thousands of messages of support have arrived by phone, letter, email and social media.    School children have also gathered outside the Johannesburg home of the former president to sing hymns.    Ms Machel says she is grateful for the love and generosity the family has received from across South Africa and around the world.    "So much love and generosity ... has come our way to lighten the burden of anxiety; bringing us love, comfort and hope," she said in a statement.    "We have felt the closeness of the world and the deepest meaning of strength and peace.    "Our gratitude is difficult to express. But the love and peace we feel give yet more life to the simple "thank you".    http://www.nelsonmandela.org/ http://www.nelsonmandelachildrensfund.com http://www.nelsonmandelachildrenshospital.org http://www.sabc.co.za/mandela http://madiba.mg.co.za/    http://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00027835.html http://allafrica.com/specials/Nelson_Mandela_Life_And_Times/    http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/useful-site-about-nelson-mandela http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/nelson-mandela-external-video-and-audio-archive    ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, NELSON MANDELA, AT THE 53RD UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:    New York, 21 September 1998    Mr.President;    Mr Secretary General, the Hon.Kofi Annan;    Your Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen,    " Quite appropriately, this 53rd General Assembly will be remembered through the ages as the moment at which we marked and celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Born in the aftermath of the defeat of the Nazi and fascist crime against humanity, this Declaration held high hope that all our societies would, in future, be built on the foundation of the glorious vision spelt out in each of its clauses.    For those who had to fight for their emancipation, such as ourselves who, with your help, had to free ourselves from the criminal apartheid system, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights served as the vindication of the justice of our cause.    At the same time, it constituted a challenge to us that our freedom, once achieved, should be dedicated to the implementation of the perspectives contained in the Declaration.    Today, we celebrate the fact that this historic document has survived a turbulent five decades, which have seen some of the most extraordinary developments in the evolution of human society.    These include the collapse of the colonial system, the passing of a bipolar world, breath-taking advances in science and technology and the entrenchment of the complex process of globalisation.    And yet, at the end of it all, the human beings who are the subject of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights continue to be afflicted by wars and violent conflicts.    They have, as yet, not attained their freedom from fear and death that would be brought about by the use of weapons of mass destruction as well as conventional arms.    Many are still unable to exercise the fundamental and inalienable democratic rights that would enable them to participate in the determination of the destiny of their countries, nations, families and children and to protect themselves from tyranny and dictatorship.    The very right to be human is denied everyday to hundreds of millions of people as a result of poverty, the unavailability of basic necessities such as food, jobs, water and shelter, education, health care and a healthy environment.    The failure to achieve this vision contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights finds dramatic expression in the contrast between wealth and poverty which characterises the divide between the countries of the North and the countries of the South and within individual countries in all hemispheres.    It is made especially poignant and challenging by the fact that this coexistence of wealth and poverty, the perpetuation of the practice of the resolution of inter and intra-state conflicts by war and the denial of the democratic right of many across the world, all result from the acts of commission and omission particularly by those who occupy positions of leadership in politics, in the economy and in other spheres of human activity.    What I am trying to say is that all these social ills which constitute an offence against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are not a pre-ordained result of the forces of nature or the product of a curse of the deities.    They are the consequences of decisions which men and women take or refuse to take, all of whom will not hesitate to pledge their devoted support for the vision conveyed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.    This Declaration was proclaimed as Universal precisely because the founders of this Organisation and the nations of the world who joined hands to fight the scourge of fascism, including many who still had to achieve their own emancipation, understood this clearly that our human world was an interdependent whole.    Necessarily, the values of happiness, justice, human dignity, peace and prosperity have a universal application because each people and every individual is entitled to them.    Similarly, no people can truly say it is blessed with happiness, peace and prosperity where others, as human as itself, continue to be afflicted with misery, armed conflict and terrorism and deprivation.    Thus can we say that the challenge posed by the next 50 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by the next century whose character it must help fashion, consists in whether humanity, and especially those who will occupy positions of leadership, will have the courage to ensure that, at last, we build a world consistent with the provisions of that historic Declaration and other human rights instruments that have been adopted since 1948."    “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 that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”    “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion,” Mandela wrote in his memoir Long Walk to Freedom. “People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Visit the related web page
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