“Have men done more for peace than have women? I don’t think so.”

Gro Harlem Brundtland delivers the Nadia Younes Memorial Lecture at the American University in Cairo, 12 March 2012.

At the World YWCA International Women's Summit in Zurich, July 2011, Mary Robinson speaks about the role of girls and young women as human rights defenders and leaders of their communities.

Speaking at an international conference held in Paris, February 2011, Mary Robinson discusses the relationship between religion, tradition and gender inequality. Citing the issue of child marriage as one example, she argues that promoting the rights of girls and women cannot be imposed on a society; instead, we must support activists working to change their culture from within.

In his lecture 'Bridging the World's Divides', held at the British Museum and extracted in The Independent, Kofi Annan argues for a renewed urgency to resolve conflicts and promote understanding between peoples.

Speaking at the University of Helsinki, Martti Ahtisaari stated his belief that religions play a major role not only in the creation of conflicts, but also in their resolution.

In his speech to a conference to mark 60 years of the Geneva Conventions organised by Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Kofi Annan outlined what he saw as the real challenges facing the Conventions - and international law - in the coming decades.

In this speech delivered on the occasion of his 89th birthday, Nelson Mandela announces the formation of The Elders and expresses his hope that the group will "work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict, and inspire hope where there is despair."