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As world leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly, the institution unveiled a statue to former South African President Nelson Mandela.
The statue was donated by the South African government to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Civil Rights Icon.
"Since that day, everyone at the United Nations will be constantly inspired by Madiba's legacy by watching this magnificent statue," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the revelation of the statue.
The current South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was part of the African National Congress – Mandela's political party – while the late leader was in prison for 27 years, was present at the ceremony.
"The Political Declaration adopted at the Summit said this morning that Nelson Mandela's International Decade for Peace will last 10 years. We should seize the opportunity of this decade to join a common agenda of peace, "he said.
Mandela has become a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement. In 1964, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the state.
"In my lifetime, I devoted myself to this struggle of the African people," he told the judge during his trial of conviction. "I fought against white domination and fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all people live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It's an ideal for which I hope to live and succeed. But if need be, it's an ideal for which I'm ready to die. "
As Mandela was behind bars, mainly on Robben Island, South Africa, his influence and history have grown in popularity around the world.
In February 1990, Mandela was released from prison as the system began to collapse.
In 1993, he and South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Four years after his release, he was chosen by the people as the first black and democratically elected president of his country.
While Mandela was president of a mandate, he remained active in social and political causes until his death in December 2013. He was 95 years old.
Mandela would spend her life after her office campaigning against injustices and poverty and raising awareness of the AIDS epidemic in the hope of treatment. He is still considered a symbol and beacon for justice and racial equality.
"We are delighted that he will always live in the hearts of South Africans at home, but also in the hearts of people around the world, especially those who continue to come to the United Nations," Ramaphosa told the UN on Monday. . .
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