Abu Dhabi, July 12 (IANS/WAM) The South African embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) opened celebrations Tuesday to mark the Nelson Mandela International Day that falls July 18.
The Nelson Mandela Day recognises the dedication of the former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate to humanity - particularly in areas of conflict resolution, human rights promotion and gender equality.
The UN General Assembly declared that July 18 - Mandela's birthday - would be observed every year as Nelson Mandela International Day.
At the opening ceremony in Abu Dhabi Tuesday, officials rolled out a 67-metre-long fabric decorated with a number of pictures of Mandela and late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of UAE.