F.W. de Klerk, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former president of South Africa, has been named to the honorary board of the Albert Schweitzer Institute.
"I am very happy to have such a courageous person on our honorary board," said David Ives, executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute. "It was impressive that he covered [Nelson] Mandela after being president--that speaks to his character, in my opinion. De Klerk was president of South Africa when Mandela was in prison. He released Mandela, and together they had a great role in the ending of apartheid."
De Klerk served as president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994, and as one of the deputy presidents of the country during the presidency of Nelson Mandela until 1996. In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Mandela for his role in the ending of apartheid. The two were also awarded Spain's annual Prince of Asturias Award in 1992 for international cooperation. In 2000, de Klerk established the F. W. de Klerk Foundation to work for peace in societies that are divided on cultural, ethnic, religious or linguistic lines.
The institute's honorary board boasts an impressive list of world leaders, including former President Jimmy Carter; Oscar Arias, president of Costa Rica; Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute; human rights activist Kerry Kennedy; and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu, who fought to resolve apartheid in South Africa.