PRIME Minister Andrew Holness is calling for the unification of leaders across the world for peace.

Addressing the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in the precincts of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America yesterday, Prime Minister Holness underscored the importance of Nelson Mandela’s role in promoting peace.

“The centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth provides space for us as world leaders to affirm the need for healthy and meaningful dialogue to engender peace, reconciliation, and communal accord. These, I believe, are principles that Mandela would very much wish us to promote on this occasion,” said Holness.

The prime minister noted that the peace summit comes at a time of heightened global concern about hostility and conflict in some regions. Against this background, Prime Minister Holness said leaders are required to make significant sacrifices for peace.

“Like Mandela, we too must commit to the consolidation of peaceful coalitions. What better occasion than this summit to do just that. Let that be our legacy in his honour,” said Holness.

He added that Nelson Mandela understood the need for great sacrifices in order to achieve goals, referencing Mandela’s long journey to freedom.

In that regard, Prime Minister Holness says the summit is the best occasion to commit to the strengthening of peaceful alliances.

In the meantime, Holness said he was deeply honoured to have been invited to speak at the summit.

The high-level plenary meeting on global peace was held in honour of the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, known as the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit.