Annual lecture 2020: Secretary General’s full speech

Excellencies, distinguished guests, friends, 

It is a privilege to join you in honouring Nelson Mandela, an extraordinary global leader, advocate, and role model.

I thank the Nelson Mandela Foundation for this opportunity and commend their work to keep his vision alive. And I send my deepest condolences to the Mandela family, and to the government and people of South Africa, on the untimely passing of Ambassador Zindzi Mandela earlier this week. May she rest in peace.

I was fortunate enough to meet Nelson Mandela several times. I will never forget his wisdom, determination and compassion, which shone forth in everything he said and did.

Last August, in my holidays, I visited Madiba’s cell at Robben Island. I stood there, looking through the bars, humbled again by his enormous mental strength and incalculable courage. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, 18 of them at Robben island. But he never allowed this experience to define him or his life.

Nelson Mandela rose above his jailers to liberate millions of South Africans and become a global inspiration and a modern icon.

He devoted his life to fighting the inequality that has reached crisis proportions around the world in recent decades – and that poses a growing threat to our future.

COVID-19 is shining a spotlight on this injustice.