“Mandela is a symbol of resistance and courage,” said the Second Mozo SJ Human Rights Documentation Center, the Ecuadorian Association for Friendship with the Saharawi People, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS Ecuador) and the Committee on Apartheid Free Spaces.

Thus, they recalled their key role in the fight against racial discrimination in South Africa and stressed that their legacy now inspires actions for justice, equality and human dignity in different contexts.

The organizations reaffirmed their solidarity with peoples such as the Palestinians and Saharans who are facing systematic policies of occupation, repression and segregation. They said that the best way to honour Mandela is to follow his example of fighting oppression.

“Today his legacy guides us in the fight against the apartheid regime imposed by Zionism in Palestine,” they said.

Nelson Mandela International Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2009.

Every July 18, the birth of the South African leader, his contribution to the global culture of peace, conflict resolution and human rights advocacy is recognized worldwide.

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