Nelson Mandela was known for his embrace of technology as a catalyst for change and development. As President of South Africa, Mr Mandela was a strong supporter of ITU. Speaking at the opening ceremony of ITU Telecom World in Geneva in 1995, President Mandela said ITU was a body of crucial importance for the entire African continent. He said, "We need a vast expansion of our communication and information network and ITU, as the principle driving force behind international policy, technological development, cooperation and skills transfer, is an indispensable agent in this regard." Mr Mandela went on to underline the importance of communication and access to information to human beings around the world, and stressed the need to work towards eliminating the divide between information-rich and information-poor countries.
In 1998, ITU was invited by President Mandela to hold the regional edition, ITU Telecom Africa, in Johannesburg. "It allows our nation to take its place in a forum of critical importance to Africa's future. And it is an opportunity to give practical expression to our desire to be fully part of the rebirth of our continent," President Mandela said. "As the information revolution gathers yet more pace and strikes deeper roots, it is already redefining our understanding of the world. Indeed, the speed of technological innovation could bring the ideal of the global village sooner than we thought possible. For the developing world, this brings both opportunity and challenge."
As late as 2009, Nelson Mandela continued to support the work of ITU. Speaking via video link at the opening ceremony of ITU Telecom World 2009, he underlined that "information and communication technologies are the single most powerful tool we have for human progress" and urged participants to "support efforts to connect the world and bridge the digital divide".
"ITU will remember Mandiba's advice, and we shall continue to strive in our efforts to connect the world in the spirit of this great son of South Africa and of the world," Secretary-General Touré said.
As a mark of respect to honour the passing of this great and inspirational leader and true champion of digital inclusion, the ITU flag at its headquarters in Geneva will fly at half-mast.
