It was more than ironic that the United Nations (UN) unveiled a new statue of Nelson Mandela at its New York headquarters ahead of a General Assembly at which US President Donald Trump urged world leaders to “reject globalism”. Mandela, by contrast, valued both international solidarity and the UN as an institution. President Cyril Ramaphosa reminded those present at the unveiling that Mandela viewed the UN “as the most valuable and effective instrument for the advancement of peace, development and equality that humanity had conceived”.