Prince Harry to deliver keynote address at UN Mandela Day commemoration
(File) Britain’s Prince Harry attends the 2021 Global Citizen Live concert at Central Park in New York, US, September 25, 2021.
Image: Reuters
(File) Britain’s Prince Harry attends the 2021 Global Citizen Live concert at Central Park in New York, US, September 25, 2021.
Prince Harry is to deliver the keynote address at this year’s UN General Assembly Commemoration of the Nelson Mandela International Day on Monday.
The annual event in New York comes after the General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2009 declaring Madiba’s birthday – July the 18th- an international day in his name.
It will feature interventions from people including New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele.
Prince Harry’s inclusion has created a media frenzy around this year’s General Assembly event.
The UN event has featured the likes of former US President Bill Clinton, Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson and late struggle stalwart Andrew Mlangeni among others in the keynote speaker’s role.
Prince Harry will be accompanied by his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. The couple last visited South Africa in 2019 when they met Madiba’s widow Graca Machel.
Prince Harry is likely to address current-day issues related to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals.
The winners of the 2020 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize Marianna Vardinoyannis of Greece and Dr Morissanda Kouyate of Guinea will also be honoured at the event.
In the video below, UN Chief Antonio Guterres calls on UN members and their citizens to spend 67 minutes of their time by doing good: