Global Leadership Foundation

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The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is an NGO founded in 2004 by former Apartheid era South African leader F.W. de Klerk.

Comprised of a number of former statesmen, ex presidents and Prime Ministers the Global Leadership Foundation is mandated to help and advise present governments based on the experience of its members. The Global Leadership Foundation prefers to keep its members and projects secret, describing itself as a "virtual organisation", operating from a small secretariat office in London. Members believed to be associated with, and actively participating in GLF projects include F.W. de Klerk, Nelson Mandela, George H. W. Bush, Lech Wałęsa, Václav Havel, Ketumile Masire and Aníbal Cavaco Silva.

[edit] Organisation

The Global Leadership Foundation was registered in Bern, Switzerland in March 2004 and is headquartered in London. Its secretariat is run by former British diplomat, John Shepherd. Individual advisory members operate independently from the location of the secretariat.

[edit] Secrecy

There is no published list of countries who have engaged the services of the Global Leadership Foundation or who are seeking its services. Discretion is a core part of their business and meetings are held in secret at undisclosed venues. Governments are free to announce collaboration with the GLF should they choose to, however the GLF itself maintains its discretion and does not disclose its operations. On what basis projects or governments are chosen or rejected is not clear. As an example the GLF have declared that Zimbabwe was not a regime that would receive GLF services. It is also unclear how the services of the GLF are paid for and what is charged for their service.