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Kofi Annan appointed Chair of The Elders

The Elders in Gaza

Middle East peace

After decades of peace process, there is still no peace.

Find out more about The Elders' work to support civil society working for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East

Press release

The Elders call on Europe to play a stronger role in the Middle East

To the Elders thank you. It has been long since we have awaited you. Soon your presence will insight a movement towards an official moral governing body to defend our right to peaceful coexistence.
Ian Paul McKenzie
UISA
Borders are for administrative purposes only. Each granule of sand is the property entrusted to humanity. Humane Society across the border shall break the barrier.
Jayaraman Rajah Iyer
Kodaikanal, India
Peace making is too important to be left to politicians alone. It needs the active, sustained involvement of all sectors of society - civil society, business, young people, women's groups - supported by all international friends of peace and justice.
Mary Robinson
Ireland
I'm so grateful for The Elders. You bring together the wisdom of some of the greatest leaders and thinkers of our time to guide people towards peace and temperance.
Jenifer Vogt
Boca Raton, Florida, USA
Praying, working, donating and always always hoping for peace in a region I love and respect. Please don't give up. I'm pulling for you all.
Laura Diviney
North Carolina, USA
It is time we put aside our differences and reached out to our brothers and sisters in every Nation across the World and worked together for lasting peace.
david holmes
gloucestershire, england
Real peace comes from living harmoniously with one another. The 'reality on the ground' won't go away so isn't it time to work towards a single state solution?
Mike Lake
Derby, England
An open apology to the Palestinians and acknowledgment of the mistakes the western world has made in the past, will show respect to all those who suffer, and this will give them hope and strength.
Gerardus Smeets
Germany
When we have justice for women in the Middle East, peace will be the collateral benefit.
ErnestO Stolpe
New Mexico
if we are all the children of G_D, then how could he love any of else greater or lesser? We are all the chosen of G_D and we are loved unconditionally and without bias. Peace is...Inevitable
michael
usa
Please consider the world our grandchildren will share, and put aside today's political and economic pressures. Our grandchildren must live in the world we leave them. Our problems are irrelevant.
Rob Branch-Dasch
The Garden
Perhaps you would consider highlighting the work of the voluntary Transition Town movement, born here in Kinsale 2005, and now active in communities all over the world ?
Alan Clayton
Ireland
Peace requires courage, strength and wisdom. It's a continuous struggle for human rights and freedoms. Peace is also an internal struggle of every person on Earth to overcome selfishness and fear.
Xhabir M. Deralla
Skopje, Macedonia
The world must look to the youth of, not just Gaza, but everywhere to make a difference. We owe youth so much more than terrorism. They are our future.
Carolyn McKay
New Zealand.
Help Greek politicians solve the debt crisis without exhausting to death the Greek people. The way they have begun solving the crisis does not allow growth.
ELENI ANTONOPOULOU
ATHENS, GREECE
Don't give up, ever. There is more that links us together than divides us. We must all find our common humanity.
Sarah Lewis
United Kingdom
love peace hope and compassion ..all hope for your mission and power to you .. thankyou for you efforts , please keep trying ..
katherine johnston
united kingdom
At this time of the year, it is particularily poignant that there is such pain and division in the place where Jesus was born. I hold all of the Palestinian and Israeli people in my prayers.
Elaine Murray
Kilkenny, Ireland
Having worked for peace personally since 1992, the majority of those years spent in the Holy Land, I have never stopped believing that peace is possible and will be a reality one day, when all want it
Mark Polane
Jerusalem
Peace , a simply word with a great meaning! Inside this word we are friendship, collaboration, love, union, the sounds of our hearts...Try to follow this word in every moment of our life!
Nella
Italy
It is insufficient simply to support 'peace'. We need to set out the choice: either two states (partition) or a single democratic state. There is no third way.
Roger Higginson
London, UK
Love the creator in you and all around you. If that contradicts what you think then change the way you think.
simon blackwood
scotland UK
There can be no greater purpose in life than to encourage and promote peace among warring factions. I've helped with elections in the ME and know the suffering among all peoples there. Bless you.
Gladys Teske
Sherwood Park AB Canada
The U.S. should not wait two years. It should recognize Palestine de facto NOW.
Morton Nadler
Blacksburg VA USA
Peace is possible. Israelis and Palestinians deserve it and can achieve it. Ordinary people can make a difference. Make your voice heard now.
Fernando H Cardoso
Brazil
Please continue and increase your work for the recognition in the United Nations Assembly of Palestine as a non-member state - on the way to full state membership through the Security Council!
ione schuemer-lowrance
spain
Here's a good start...The Venus Project http://www.thevenusproject.com/ You may call it Utopia....however as Lennon sang in Imagine..."I hope some day you will join us" Peace!!
Rob
Northern California - USA
Peace will only be experienced, when masses of people across the globe speak out, live it, breathe it, and by doing so, change the energetic field in the human consiousness
Dr. Patrick Williams
Palm Coast Florida
I cannot express it any better than Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh: "Peace is not simply the absence of violence; it is the cultivation of understanding, insight and compassion combined with action."
Andrew Smith
England
If a friend can become an enemy. Then an enemy can become a friend.
Vu Nguyen
The United States Of America
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The Elders

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

Founder and Honorary Elder

Former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Laureate; a leader who has dedicated his life to the anti-apartheid struggle, democracy and equality; founder of The Elders.

Martti Ahtisaari

Martti Ahtisaari

Former President of Finland; Nobel Peace Laureate and expert in international peace mediation, diplomacy and post-conflict state building.

Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan

Chair of The Elders

Former UN Secretary-General, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chair of The Elders; put development, human rights, the rule of law, good governance and peace at the top of the United Nations agenda.

Ela Bhatt

Ela Bhatt

The ‘gentle revolutionary’; a pioneer in women’s empowerment and grassroots development, founder of the more than 1 million-strong Self-Employed Women’s Association in India.

Lakhdar Brahimi

Lakhdar Brahimi

Former Algerian freedom fighter, Foreign Minister, conflict mediator and UN diplomat; an expert in peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction.

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Deputy Chair of The Elders

First woman Prime Minister of Norway and Deputy Chair of The Elders; a medical doctor who champions health as a human right; put sustainable development on the international agenda.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Fernando H Cardoso

Former President of Brazil; implemented major land reform programme, reduced poverty and significantly improved health and education; an acclaimed sociologist and global advocate for drug policy reform.

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

Former President of the United States, Nobel Peace Laureate and veteran peace negotiator; dedicated to advancing peace, democracy and health worldwide.

Graça Machel

Graça Machel

International advocate for women’s and children's rights; former freedom fighter and first Education Minister of Mozambique.

Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson

First woman President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; a passionate, forceful advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building and human dignity.

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu

Honorary Elder

Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Nobel Peace Laureate and Honorary Elder; a veteran anti-apartheid activist and peace campaigner widely regarded as ‘South Africa’s moral conscience’.