On Nelson Mandela Day at U.N., Prince Harry tells world leaders to "be brave" in face of climate change and other crises

Britain's Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, honored South Africa's late anti-apartheid icon Monday by delivering the keynote speech on Nelson Mandela International Day to the United Nations General Assembly. Harry's wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, accompanied the prince on his visit to U.N. headquarters in New York.

Harry lauded the legacy of the South African crusader for democracy, who became his country's first Black president after languishing for 27 years in prison for his efforts to dismantle the racist apartheid regime. The U.N. has made July 18 — the late leader's birthday — an international day to honor his memory and his remarkable battle for freedom and equality.

"We're living through a pandemic that continues to ravage communities in every corner of the globe; climate change wreaking havoc on our planet, with the most vulnerable suffering most of all; the few weaponizing lies and disinformation at the expense of the many, and from the horrific war in Ukraine to the rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States, we are witnessing a global assault on democracy and freedom, the cores of Mandela's life," Harry said.