Since its creation in 1991, UNPO has been committed to give a voice to the voiceless, to shine the light on alarming yet silenced situations, in which too many nations and peoples are living today. UNPO would like to mark Mandela day by reminding how non-violence is crucial in any action towards a better world.

UNPO and its members commit to the fundamental principle of non-violence. In that sense, Nelson Mandela is an inspiring role model. The nations and peoples represented by UNPO live in the most appalling conditions, being oppressed by their governments, deprived of their most fundamental rights, unable to have their say to chapters in their lives that yet affect them directly.

Not a single day passes without the report of an injustice, an abusive arrest, a harsh crackdown on peaceful protests, or a governmental decision jeopardizing a community. Nevertheless, our Members keep taking a very strong stance in rejecting violent means. Be it in Crimea, where the Tatars have been plunged in a violent turmoil over the past few months; be it in Iraq, where the minority components are currently disproportionately targeted; be it in Iran, where Ahwazi people are abusively arrested or even executed, our Members have always refused to answer back with violence. Instead, they peacefully advocate for their rights and for their recognition on the international level.

To quote what Nelson Mandela said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1993, “We stand here today as nothing more than a representative of the millions of our people who dared to rise up against a social system whose very essence is war, violence, racism, oppression, repression and the impoverishment of an entire people.” UNPO and its members, by flying high the flag of the unrepresented, not only opposes oppressing systems, but aims at changing them, thus achieving greater inclusion among nations and peoples.