British Premier Gordon Brown said on Thursday South Africa’s fight to end white rule showed what people could do when they joined forces.

He said Nelson Mandela’s release 20 years ago was a heartening lesson for those fighting climate change and other challenges today.

Brown said Mandela was forgiving, playful, utterly gracious and had a generosity of spirit that lifted the world.

The lesson of South Africa is surely that change never comes without a fight but when one fights, progressives can change the course of history.

Brown said that lesson must be taken up by those fighting poverty, climate change, terrorism and nuclear proliferation.