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Founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, we are independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights

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Ban Ki-moon

Deputy Chair

Former UN Secretary-General and former South Korean Foreign Minister; championed the world’s vulnerable by putting Sustainable Development, climate change, and gender equality at the top of the UN agenda.

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Lakhdar Brahimi

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

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Gro Harlem Brundtland

First woman Prime Minister of Norway; a medical doctor who champions health as a human right and a leading advocate on global preparedness for pandemics; put sustainable development on the international agenda.

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Zeid Raad Al Hussein

Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; champion of international justice and multilateralism; veteran Jordanian diplomat and peacekeeping expert.

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Hina Jilani

Pioneering lawyer and pro-democracy campaigner; a leading activist in Pakistan's women's movement and international champion of human rights.

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Former President of Liberia and Africa’s first elected female head of state; Nobel Peace Laureate; a leading promoter of peace, justice and democratic rule; a voice for freedom and a champion for health for all.

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Ricardo Lagos

Former President of Chile; tenacious fighter for democracy and human rights; implemented health reform; and reduced economic inequality while diversifying Chile’s external trade in the era of globalisation.

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Graça Machel

Deputy Chair

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

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Mary Robinson

Chair of The Elders

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

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Juan Manuel Santos

Former President of Colombia; a Nobel Peace Laureate who led complex peace negotiations, ending over 50 years of intractable civil war.

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Ernesto Zedillo

Former President of Mexico who led profound democratic and social reforms; economist and advocate of multilateralism, inclusive globalisation, nuclear non-proliferation and drug policy reform.

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Martti Ahtisaari

Elder Emeritus

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

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Ela Bhatt

Elder Emeritus

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.

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Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Elder Emeritus

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.

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Jimmy Carter

Elder Emeritus

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

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Desmond Tutu

Elder Emeritus

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

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Our key programmes

Ethical Leadership & Multilateral Cooperation
Conflict Countries & Regions
Universal Health Coverage
Climate Change
Refugees and Migration
Access to Justice

Ethical Leadership & Multilateral Cooperation

We support international co-operation & strong multilateral institutions as the most effective ways of tackling global challenges, including nuclear disarmament.
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Conflict Countries & Regions

We endeavour to assist in efforts to secure peaceful resolution to conflicts through quiet diplomacy and a willingness to talk to all sides.
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Universal Health Coverage

We make global and country-level interventions to help political leaders take the bold steps needed to implement pro-poor UHC reforms.
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Climate Change

We want to help ensure a just transition to the low carbon economy, create political space for ambitious action, and encourage innovative new solutions.
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Refugees and Migration

We champion the need for compassion, tolerance and solidarity in response to vulnerable people on the move. ​
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Access to Justice

Access to justice for all is an important human right. We will work with governments and civil society to make this right a reality.
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Latest News & Insight More on what we do

Latest News & Insight

 Statement

The Elders call for urgent action to address multilateral failings exposed by COVID-19
22 Oct 2020
The Elders call on world leaders to urgently strengthen, defend, and realise the potential of the multilateral system, to end the current disarray in the global order.
Ethical Leadership
 News

The UK has a clear opportunity to demonstrate international climate leadership
22 Oct 2020
In an open letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, The Elders call for greater climate leadership from the UK COP Presidency ahead of COP26. First published in The Times.
Climate Change
 News

True solidarity with young people means ending the fossil fuel era
07 Oct 2020
Imploring the world to "listen to the incontrovertible science", Mary Robinson calls for urgent climate action to build a sustainable, just and inclusive future. in a message of support at the 10th Annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture.
Climate Change
 News

Securing our common future in the era of COVID-19: multilateral action is key
01 Oct 2020
From the achievements of sustainable development and empowering women to the need for pandemic preparedness and investing in universal health coverage, Gro Harlem Brundtland discusses the power of multilateralism, in this interview with The ASEAN magazine
Ethical Leadership, UHC
 News
The need for principled global leadership and cooperation has never been more important
02 Oct 2020
As COVID-19 continues to hit our societies at great cost, the need for far-sighted, innovative and principled global leadership and cooperation has never been more important.
 Speech

We must tackle carbon inequality to meet our Paris Agreement commitments
23 Sep 2020
Ban Ki-moon warns that the global carbon budget is being rapidly depleted for the purpose of expanding the consumption of a tiny minority of people.
Climate Change
 Speech

We must end fossil fuel use alongside a revolution in nature-based solutions to truly build back a safer and fairer world
16 Sep 2020
Juan Manuel Santos warns that nature-based solutions and the protection of biodiversity are not a substitute for accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels.
Climate Change
The Elders in the world

Video and gallery content from The Elders

Together, we can shape a better future for us all
 Video
#PeaceCrane2020: Imagining a world free from nuclear weapons
 Gallery
#NuclearThreat: a call for minimisation
 Video
#JusticeForAll: Elders' call for greater commitments
 Video
Israel-Palestine: the realities of occupation
 Video
 Join the conversation Discover more video and galleries

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