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UNITED NATIONS – Nelson Mandela's widow challenged world leaders by celebrating her life on Monday to put aside their egoism and partisan politics and honor her legacy by putting an end to the "senseless violence" of which the world suffers too much.
"History will judge you if you stagnate too long in inaction," Graca Machel told a US "peace summit" commemorating the 100th anniversary of Mandela's birth. "The humanity will hold you accountable if you allow the suffering to continue on your watch."
United States Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other leaders who have acknowledged that the world is far from achieving Mandela's ideals, including human rights and global cooperation, have echoed the challenge Peace.
"Today, with human rights under increasing pressure worldwide, we would be well served by reflecting on the example of this exceptional man," Guterres said. "We must face the forces that threaten us with the wisdom, courage and courage that Nelson Mandela has embodied."
Tributes to Mandela began with a rare UN honor – the unveiling of a $ 1.8 million statue of South African anti-apartheid activist turned world's most famous political prisoner, the first democratic election of the world. country. The statue is a gift to the United Nations of South Africa.
Mandela's arms are extended in the statue, as if to kiss people everywhere. But after the cover was removed, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, with the help of Guterres, placed a small South African flag on his back.
The one-day summit, with nearly 160 speakers, paved the way for the annual meeting of world leaders of the General Assembly, including the conflicts between Syria and South Sudan, growing unilateralism and global warming and growing inequalities. should be in the honor.
The President of the General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, on Monday adopted a political declaration in which he declared "going beyond words" to promote peace and prevent, contain and end conflicts. "Dialogue is the key, and it takes courage to take the first steps to build trust and gain momentum," the report says.
Garces said Mandela "represents a light of hope for a world still torn apart by conflict and suffering."
Like others, she warned against the rise of populism and unilateralism and its threat to the 193 members of the United Nations.
"Moving away from multilateralism means endangering the future of our species and planet," Garces said. "The world needs a social contract based on shared responsibility, and the United Nations is the only forum we have to achieve this global compact."
The call for collective action to address the many conflicts, hot spots and challenges of the world is being tested by US President Donald Trump's "America First" program and the populist governments of Italy, Hungary, Austria and other countries. Union.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that "unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise" and urged the international community to "unite under the umbrella of multilateralism".
The Trump administration and China have engaged in a trade war in recent months, with both parties imposing higher tariffs on imports from each other.
Wang said that "the UN is the symbol of multilateralism" and "an important guardian of world peace". At the time of Mandela, he said, "the strong moral pressure of the UN and the international community."
"The international community must be united under the umbrella of multilateralism, defend the central role of the United States in international affairs and provide more predictability and stability in this hectic world," Wang said.
During the Mandela event, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani never mentioned the United States – which accused Tehran of promoting international terrorism, an accusation he categorically denies.
But Mr. Rouhani seemed to be aiming at Trump and his commitment to building a wall at the US-Mexico border when he said Mandela was a model for the "historical reality that great statesmen tend to build bridges instead of walls. "
Referring to the Trump administration, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez said the recent announcements regarding military spending were "alarming" and were pushing the world towards a new arms race "at the expense of the enormous resources needed to to build a world of peace. . "
South Africa Ramaphosa said that his country's "deepest hope" is that the summit, "in the name of one of our greatest examples of humanity, is a new dawn for the United Nations" .
"We hope that we will rediscover the strength of the will to save successive generations of war and overcome the hatred of our past and the narrow interests that blind us to the vision of a peaceful and prosperous common future," did he declare. "We hope we will be worthy as the bearers of Nelson Mandela's legacy."
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