Delivered by Ambassador Barbara Barrett on 11/11/2024

What a pleasure it is being here with my friend, the incomparable Elita de Klerk! (and now the unexpected added treat of my decades-long pal, Bridgett Radebe!)

And I have looked forward to joining you, especially those of you, who knew, worked with, and admired FW de Klerk, as I did.

FW de Klerk was an extraordinary man starting with his loving heart. FW was a better man because of his rock-solid devotion to Elita. When Elita was at his side his joy was absolute.

Together, they were admired – not just here in South Africa, where you knew him best – but around the world.

Congratulations to Elita and the FW de Klerk Foundation on yesterday’s Launch of the Centre for the Constitutional Transformation of South Africa! The powerful lessons portrayed through the Centre’s exhibit should be taught in classrooms everywhere. 

As this is the third annual FW de Klerk Memorial Lecture, I follow two impressively distinguished precedents.

Last year in Washington, in conjunction with the Global Leadership Foundation Board, Professor Chester Crocker, the dean of the American diplomatic corps, delivered the second lecture from his vantage point as an American diplomat and scholar.

Chet Crocker was the architect of President Reagan’s policy of “constructive engagement” toward Southern Africa, stressing the goal of regional stability. He masterminded the Reagan policy that was seen as a more ‘even-handed’ approach to countries in this region. Chet Crocker had known and respected FW de Klerk through all or parts of six decades.  

The late Lord Robin Renwick, British diplomat, author, member of the House of Lords, and former British Ambassador to South Africa, delivered the first.

In this Third Annual FW de Klerk Memorial Lecture let’s reflect on the contribution of one of the most consequential figures in modern history: Former South African President FW de Klerk.

To begin, let’s celebrate FW’s rare combination of Wisdom and Courage, more relevant now than ever.

Then, let’s explore FW’s uniquely transformative “second act” after his tenure in South African government. Though he was without portfolio, he was not without cache! Unlike any other former president in history, FW de Klerk applied his formidable skills to assist incumbent presidents in other countries through his Global Leadership Foundation.

Third and finally, let’s have a little fun talking about the insatiable scientific curiosity of FW de Klerk.

1. Wisdom and Courage

“A Deed Resounding Over the Earth” (from poem cited in Nobel acceptance)

This evening, we gather to celebrate FW’s monumental role in guiding South Africa through profound transformation, reconciliation, and hope – his own Deed Resounding Over the Earth.

FW’s negotiation of a peaceful transition to democracy stands as a testament to the power of wisdom and courage alongside moral clarity in the face of daunting challenges.

In 1989, when FW de Klerk became president in South Africa, the scene was set. The nation was at a crossroads. Apartheid had been in place for decades and was condemned by the ANC, and by other liberation movements, and the world.

Internal resistance had grown and the South African economy demanded stability. Sanctions and boycotts exacerbated international isolation.

Against this backdrop, FW de Klerk – a man whose success had been within the system as a member of the ruling National Party – had the wisdom to see the urgent need to change the system and he had the courage to chart a radically different course.

Rarely do leaders who rise to the pinnacle of success in a long-established system, have the wisdom to confess that the system in which they were so successful could be wrong.

Rarer still are those who also have the courage to make the necessary changes to reform and dismantle the failed system.

FW had that rare combination of wisdom and courage and became the President at crucial time.

Famously, FW and his government dismantled the failed system, introduced universal suffrage, and released Nelson Mandela and other political opposition from prison.  

This political gamble entailed vast moral and strategic risk. FW de Klerk wisely recognised that the old system was unsustainable, and he replaced it, even though it meant breaking from his past political allies.

FW de Klerk understood that to move forward, South Africa could not be defined solely by the deep wounds of its past. His steadfast commitment to reconciliation enabled healing, peace, and a democratic future.

He persevered in the face of death threats and fearsome resistance. FW was resolute.

He understood the need to balance justice with forgiveness and peace. He also understood that reconciliation had to go two-ways – both parties had to put aside long-standing grievances, to make hard compromises, and to forge a new, shared future.

FW often urged both black and white South Africans to see each other not as enemies but as partners in the construction of a common future.

He combined wisdom with courage, and pragmatism with vision. With these rare combinations, he demonstrated a scarcity in politics: the ability to act with an eye on the long-term good, rather than short-term partisanship.  

His role laying the foundations for a new, multiracial South Africa, sustainably governed by the rule of law, respect for human rights, and democratic principles, earned him a place in history as one of the greatest statesmen of the century.

The axiom: “Cometh the hour, Cometh the man” applies to FW de Klerk as aptly as to Churchill.

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The world: Now, as we reflect on FW’s legacy, let’s consider the current state of democracy and human rights in the world.

Democracy was on the rise during FW’s leadership, but still today democracies struggle with some of the same challenges that FW confronted decades ago.

Globally, human rights and rule of law remain under threat.

Authoritarianism is eroding some fragile democracies. Populism movements are on the rise. Democratic norms are under attack.

A report published last December by the American think tank RAND Corporation posed the question on many people’s minds: Is democracy at risk?

RAND assessed that as of 2022, democracy in the world was at its lowest level in more than 35 years.

From 2012 to 2022, RAND argued that all components of democracy declined, and the share of countries living under autocracy rose by roughly half.

Still, it pointed to some encouraging news.

The 2024 calendar shows an unprecedented number of elections worldwide.

At least 63 countries plus the European Union have held or will hold elections this year. As a result, more voters than ever in history (nearly half the world’s population) are choosing their leaders in these 12 months.  

Elections this year are of extraordinary consequence.

The EU’s elections in June came as the Russia-Ukraine war stretched into its third year—the longest and bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II. 

Taiwan’s elections in January accompanied rising tensions with China, and the outcome has elicited displeasure from Beijing ever since.

Overall, it has been a bad year for incumbent parties—take the Democratic Party in the United States, or the conservatives in the U.K., or the Liberal Democrats in Japan.

I’m counting among elections this year activities in North Korea and Iran—where election standards may deviate from what we would applaud.   

In Bangladesh, the incumbent party was accused of criminalizing political dissent. In Pakistan, the opposition party leader was jailed.

In the United States, it has become usual for both parties to accuse the other of malfeasance. But last week’s much-anticipated election produced a result that was as unpredicted as it was unequivocal.

Of course, here in South Africa, FW de Klerk would be pleased that democracy is holding up under the transformative constitution that has outlasted most on the continent.

And in South Africa elections, voters set up opportunities to demonstrate unity.

Just as South Africa’s transition under FW deKlerk was possible only with his wise and courageous leadership, future democracies will depend upon leaders who see beyond their own time, who act decisively when history calls and who have the humility to prioritise the greater good – leaders with the characteristics that FW exemplified.

2. Second Act

Then what? What do former presidents do when they step out of their political spotlight? Some fish, farm, paint, safari, or golf.  

In a recent book entitled Second Acts, historian Mark Updegrove illustrates how the lives of America’s ex-presidents offer clear windows into their character.  

Instead of taking up a leisurely pastime in his Second Act, FW chose to continue his service but to an even broader constituency – the world.

After his time in politics, FW spent the remaining years of his life (over 25% of his adult life – about the same amount of time as he spent in politics) chairing the Global Leadership Foundation, which he founded in 2004.

Through his Global Leadership Foundation, FW continued to advance democracy, human rights, and good governance around the world.

He recruited an informal resource pool (not unlike a think tank, or brain trust), often his former peers – predominantly presidents and prime ministers from democracies on every inhabited continent.

Then he formed expert teams from among his talent pool to advise incumbent presidents/prime ministers on their intractable problems.

His Global Leadership Foundation teams serve client heads-of-state, without pay or publicity and only where invited.

Around the world, newly-elected presidents or prime ministers often confront societal or governing issues they want to resolve. Global Leadership Foundation teams, often with FW’s participation and always with his guidance, helped incumbent leaders resolve intractable problems. They might help a president address:

• Conflict resolution
• Democratic stabilization
• Corruption deterrence
• Judicial independence and
• Governing unity.

FW’s Global Leadership Foundation assembles a team of leaders, mostly former heads of state and other experts, to work with the client president to design solutions to specific national problems — again, without seeking publicity and only when invited.

This Foundation is a bridge between experienced national leaders and newer leaders who request support in their efforts to build a better future for their countries.

With characteristic humility, when FW founded the Global Leadership Foundation he made confidentiality its defining attribute, knowing that the likelihood of success was inversely proportionate with the level of publicity.

Through his Global Leadership Foundation, FW nurtured democratic principles and good governance in diverse nations from Eastern Europe to Africa, and Latin America. He didn’t just pass on his legacy; he multiplied it far beyond South Africa’s borders.

If the Second Act of a President offers a window into his or her character, FW’s Second Act would achieve a maximum score for impact!

3. Conclusion

As we honor FW de Klerk today, let us remember not only his leadership in ending apartheid and fostering a new South Africa, but also, his second act, committed to advancing democracy, human rights, and good governance globally.

May we continue to draw inspiration from his example of ingenuity, as we confront the challenges of our time.

And may his work through the Global Leadership Foundation inspire future generations of leaders to lead with wisdom, courage, and above all, a commitment to the values of democracy and human rights.

His legacy reminds us that real leadership is not about holding onto power, but about knowing when to let go of the old and embrace the new, for the sake of a better future for all.

The world is a better place much thanks to President FW de Klerk!

Thank you.