A call for “good trouble” at the United Nations

On 18 July 2025, Nelson Mandela International Day, the Chair of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Board, Dr. Naledi Pandor, delivered the keynote address at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, calling on leaders, institutions, and individuals to “make good trouble” in pursuit of a more just world.

Dr. Pandor reminded the audience of the bold role the UN once played in fighting apartheid and encouraged renewed courage in addressing today’s injustices.

“On this day, Nelson Mandela International Day, my call to all of you is to remember to make good trouble,” she said. “What brought freedom to South Africa was good trouble… We need to make good trouble for global equity, for justice, for a world where privilege does not silence what is right.”

She reflected on Madiba’s given name, Rolihlahla, which in isiXhosa colloquially means “troublemaker,” noting that Mandela himself embodied this call to act boldly in the face of injustice.

Pandor also emphasised the need for a stronger, reformed, and capable United Nations, saying, “It will be harder to do good trouble out there in the world if the internal structures here are not democratised.”

The address followed the opening of the “Our Shared Humanity in Action” exhibition at the UN, which highlights the role of the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid in supporting South Africa’s freedom struggle, showing what can be achieved when nations act collectively for justice.

Closing her remarks, Pandor echoed Mandela’s words from his 1990 address to the same chamber:

“We are all moved by the fact that freedom is indivisible, convinced that the denial of the rights of one diminishes the freedom of others.”

Watch the full keynote address by clicking the link below.

https://youtu.be/itbuqJs0oto?si=MznEqtKGWgktU1el