It is a great honour to be with you today and to be able to address the extremely relevant question of the Power of Regions within the context of the challenges facing Ukraine. 

[Excerpt from Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, delivered in Oslo, Norway, on 10 December 1993]

“…In our quest for peace we should constantly ask ourselves what we should do to create conditions in which peace can prosper. 

One of the contributions that we South Africans can make to the international community is to show that even the most bitter, complex and intractable problems can be solved peacefully, through negotiations. 

One hundred and sixty-six years ago, in 1848, Karl Marx wrote in the Communist Manifesto that “A spectre is haunting Europe. It is the spectre of communism”. 

I would like to share some thoughts with you this morning on leadership and on how everyone – not just leaders – can make a difference. 

The judgment last week of the Constitutional Court in Renate Barnard raises questions as to whether the foundational value of non-racialism is still applicable to white South Africans. 

It is with regret that I must inform you that Minister Gugile Nkwinti will not be able to join us today. He told us that he would very much have liked to have been able to address us but, despite his best efforts, was unable to change pre-existing commitments. 

I am sorry that Elita and I will not be able to join you this evening. However, the FW de Klerk Foundation will be represented by Dave Steward – and Elita and I shall be with you in spirit.

I would like to thank the University of Haifa most sincerely on behalf of all the recipients of Honorary Doctorates for the honour that has been bestowed on us today.