Nelson Mandela International Day is observed each year on 18 July.
The date is Mandela’s birthday. The United Nations officially declared 18 July Nelson Mandela International Day in November 2009, and the first official observance took place in 2010. The day recognizes Mandela’s contribution to peace, human rights, reconciliation, and social justice.
The United Nations encourages people to devote 67 minutes to public service, representing the 67 years Mandela spent serving the public through his political and human-rights work. The practice is commonly expressed as one minute for each year of his service, although people and organizations mark the day in many different ways.
Mandela Day is not the same as Freedom Day, which South Africa observes on 27 April to commemorate the first democratic election in 1994. It is also distinct from the date of Mandela’s release, 11 February 1990. Those dates are all associated with Mandela, but only 18 July is the annual international day named for him.