Nelson Mandela International Day is being observed on Thursday (July 18).

Nelson Mandela, who is remembered on his birth anniversary on July 18, 1918, devoted his life to the service of humanity as a human rights lawyer, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.

To mark the day, the United Nations says everyone has the ability and responsibility to change the world for the better. Mandela Day is an occasion for all to take action and inspire change.