• The ONE Campaign, in partnership with the South Africa High Commission and other global advocacy organisations, will host a day of events in Westminster on Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of Mandela’s landmark address
  
• New polling finds three-quarters of Brits believe the UK has a responsibility to help address global challenges and a majority feel developed countries have not done enough to tackle the issues Mandela raised
  
• Warning that ‘momentum to tackle our great global challenges is now at risk’, the ONE Campaign urged the UK to be ‘a strong partner’ in efforts to tackle today’s challenges

LONDON, UK – 11 February 2025 – Twenty years after Nelson Mandela stood in Trafalgar Square and called on the world to “make poverty history,” global leaders, activists, and campaigners will gather in London to reflect on progress – and warn of the urgent need for renewed action.

Watch: Nelson Mandela’s ‘Make Poverty History’ speech in Trafalgar Square

Invoking the spirit of Mandela, one of the 20th century’s most revered political leaders, Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, CEO of ONE, said 2025 offers the world the opportunity to “put a spotlight on African-led solutions that can create economic opportunities and healthier lives for us all.”

The commemoration comes as new public polling reveals that Britons still overwhelmingly revere Mandela and believe in the UK’s responsibility to tackle global challenges, but see Britain’s leadership on these issues as dramatically diminished. The polling, commissioned by ONE in partnership with More in Common, also found that:

• Nelson Mandela remains the most revered global leader of our time. With 74% of UK adults having a positive view of him, Mandela ranked joint-first with Martin Luther King, Jr. in favourability of a list of 20th and 21st-century leaders, ahead of Winston Churchill, Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi – and even Queen Elizabeth II. 
• Measuring the Mandela effect. Polling finds generation born after apartheid have an overwhelming positive view of the iconic leader (73%) despite having no living memory of him
• Three-quarters of Brits believe the UK has a responsibility to help address global challenges, yet only 14% think Britain remains a global leader today – compared to 35% 20 years ago.
• Gen Z respondents were twice as likely as all other respondents to think the UK should engage more actively on global issues (37% vs 16%) and provide more aid (22% vs 11%).
• 57% of Britons think developed countries have failed to deliver on the commitments Mandela called for in 2005, including fairer trade, debt relief, and high-quality aid.
• Two-thirds of respondents believe global challenges – such as poverty, inequality, and climate change – are more severe now than in 2005.

A series of high-profile events, hosted by a diverse coalition of organisations assembled by The ONE Campaign, will take place on Tuesday, 11 February 2025. Speakers include Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, CEO of the ONE Campaign; Dr Arunma Oteh, Chair of the African Society; Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs; Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and more. The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, and former prime minister Gordon Brown, have also contributed to the event.  Details, including RSVP, are further below.

“Mandela’s call for equity and justice is just as urgent today as it was when he delivered a call to action that inspired activists around the world. The next era of progress will require a renewed partnership with Africa grounded in respect and a shared commitment to unlocking our potential,” said Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, CEO of ONE. “South Africa’s G20 presidency offers a unique opportunity to put a spotlight on African-led solutions that can create economic opportunities and healthier lives for us all.”

“The past two decades have shown what humanity can achieve when we work together—child mortality has halved, AIDS deaths have plummeted, and millions have escaped extreme poverty. The British public can feel proud of the contribution the UK has made towards this extraordinary progress,” said Adrian Lovett, UK Executive Director at ONE, who spoke on stage with Nelson Mandela in 2005. “But momentum to tackle our great global challenges is now at risk. Conflict, economic obstacles and climate crises threaten this progress and affect millions of lives and livelihoods in the UK and around the world. The UK must be a strong partner in efforts to protect what we’ve achieved and tackle today’s challenges. When we work together for healthy lives and economic opportunities around the world, Britain is better off too.”