THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION
The FW de Klerk Foundation was established on 6 June 1999 as a registered not-for-profit organisation in South Africa. It has the following vision, mission and activities:
OUR VISION
The Foundation’s vision is to be a self-sustaining organisation that promotes – and that will, in the long term, continue to promote –
- the South African Constitution;
- national unity, reconciliation and the accommodation of diversity; and
- the legacy of President FW de Klerk and the South African constitutional transformation process.
OUR MISSION
The Foundation’s mission is to
- support and promote the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rule of law;
- work for national unity, non-racialism, reconciliation and the accommodation of cultural and linguistic diversity;
- promote and preserve FW de Klerk’s legacy and the legacy of South Africa’s constitutional transformation; and to
- support charities that care for children with disabilities and disadvantages.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Promotion and Defence of the Constitution
Promotion of Unity in Diversity
Promotion of the FW de Klerk Legacy
Support for Children with Disabilities and Disadvantages
Promotion and Defence of the Constitution
The Foundation
- promotes the values, rights and principles in the Constitution;
- monitors developments that might affect the Constitution;
- participates in the national debate on constitutional issues through the dissemination of articles, speeches and podcasts and the holding of conferences, roundtables and workshops;
- makes submissions to Parliament and Chapter 9 bodies;
- makes judicious use of litigation in defending constitutional rights in the courts;
- works with other NGOs in defence of the Constitution; and
- is able to make use of its consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council in promoting human rights.
Promotion of Unity in Diversity
The Foundation works for unity in diversity, reconciliation and dialogue by:
- monitoring developments that might affect inter-community relations;
- opposing discrimination from any quarter;
- supporting cultural, religious and linguistic rights and by working for national unity;
- participating in the national debate on inter-community relations and the rights of cultural, religious and linguistic communities through the dissemination of articles, speeches and podcasts and the holding of conferences, roundtables and workshops;
- presenting the annual FW de Klerk Goodwill Award to a South African citizen or organisation that has promoted goodwill;
- working for reconciliation between South Africans divided by our past; and
- promoting dialogue between South Africans – inter alia through its membership of the National Foundations Dialogue Initiative, which also includes the foundations of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, former President Thabo Mbeki, Helen Suzman, Desmond and Leah Tutu, Umlambo, Chief Albert Luthuli, former President Kgalema Motlanthe, and Jakes Gerwel.
Promotion of the FW de Klerk Legacy
The Foundation promotes the legacy of the late FW de Klerk through:
- its project to establish the Centre for Constitutional Transformation of South Africa, which will include a multimedia exhibition and a dedicated website;
- its project to establish the FW de Klerk Archive and Library;
- the institution of an annual FW de Klerk Memorial Lecture on 11 November every year;
- commemoration of his role in the constitutional transformation of South Africa, in the final abolition of apartheid, and in dismantling South Africa’s nuclear weapons; and
- commemoration of his status as a Nobel Peace Laureate.
Support for Children with Disabilities and Disadvantages
The Foundation assists organisations that care for disadvantaged and disabled children.
