This year, the Annual Nelson Mandela lecture will be delivered by Bill Gates, the Nelson Mandela Foundation in association with the University of Pretoria has announced. The lecture which will be delivered on July 17th, the eve of Nelson Mandela day, will focus on the theme, “Living Together”.
The lecture is one of the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s programmes that seek to honor the late Nelson Mandela. In line with this, the lecture seeks to raise topical issues affecting South Africa and the rest of the world. Encouraging dialogue often about difficult topics, the lecture seeks to address the challenges that the world faces today. The line up features speakers who have made a significant contribution in their field of expertise.
This years theme highlights the need for a new social pact across the globe to end conflict, intolerance and prejudice while seeking ways to improve access to needs such as healthcare and education and with the goal of eradicating poverty and inequality. Speaking on the lecture, Bill Gates said:
“It’s an incredible honour to be invited to deliver this year’s Nelson Mandela Lecture. President Mandela will be remembered for generations to come for his courage, his vision, and his relentless pursuit of equality and justice. I believe, as he did, that progress is possible. We can help people everywhere live healthier, more productive lives – if we make sure that innovation reaches everyone who needs it. I can’t think of a better venue for discussing these urgent issues than the Nelson Mandela Lecture.”
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