A woman holds up a booklet with a photo of Nelson Mandela hoding up his fist and his wife's had, while surrounded by people.

18 July 2013 © UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré


2022 Commemorative Events

Close up view of the UN emblem in gold at the General Assembly hall.
© UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

UN General Assembly Meeting — NYC

UN Headquarters, 18 July

The United Nations General Assembly marked Nelson Mandela International Day with an informal plenary meeting.

Multimedia:

collage of three images of people volunteering at a park in the rain
UN volunteers at Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem, NYC. © UN/Julie James

Public Service Activity — NYC

In New York, some 80 UN staff and diplomatic community volunteers, as well as partners from the Mayor’s Office, braved rainstorms to gather in Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem, a part of New York City with close links to the fight for Nelson Mandela’s freedom.

The volunteers helped with the preparation and distribution of food packages to community members. They weeded and cleaned the park of litter in the spirit of the public service legacy of Nelson Mandela.

The event was organized by the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC), the Office of the President of the General Assembly, and the partnering with the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and NYC Parks. They were joined by the NY Common Pantry, which provides New Yorkers with free, healthy life-sustaining foods such as fresh produce and whole grains.