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

Who we are News & Insight The story of The Elders

Ban Ki-moon

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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Gro Harlem Brundtland

First woman Prime Minister of Norway; former Director-General of WHO; a medical doctor who champions health as a human right; and put sustainable development on the international agenda.

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Helen Clark

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and head of the UN Development Programme; Co-Chair of the WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response; an advocate for multilateralism and nuclear disarmament.

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Elbegdorj Tsakhia

Former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia who led his country’s transition to democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union. An international campaigner on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, climate change and democracy.

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Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; champion of international justice and multilateralism; outspoken advocate for peace and human rights; 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 advocate for health for all.

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Graça Machel

Women’s and children's rights advocate; former freedom fighter and first Education Minister of Mozambique; co-founder of The Elders.

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Denis Mukwege

Member of The Elders, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, global campaigner on conflict-related sexual violence, gynaecologist and founder of the Panzi Hospital, Democratic Republic of Congo

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Mary Robinson

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

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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; Chair of The Elders.

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Ernesto Zedillo

Former President of Mexico who led profound democratic and social reforms; a renowned economist; and an advocate of multilateralism, inclusive globalisation, nuclear nonproliferation, drug policy reform and universal healthcare.

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Our Programmes

We work on existential threats to humanity that require a collective response - the climate crisis, pandemics, and nuclear weapons. We also work on conflict, a threat in itself and a risk factor for other threats.

Climate crisis

The impact we seek: The planetary emergency is contained and the most vulnerable protected through revitalised global cooperation.

Pandemics

The impact we seek: The world is prepared for future pandemics, through a transformed multilateral system that is sustainably financed, inclusive, transparent and equitably governed.

Nuclear weapons

The impact we seek: Current and future generations are free from the threat of nuclear destruction.

Conflict

The impact we seek: Global peace and security are improved through enhanced respect for international law, and more inclusive national and international dialogue.

View our cross-cutting commitments (multilateralism, human rights, gender equality and women in leadership, and intergenerational dialogue) and find out more about what we do.

 View Our Past Work

Past work

Programmes The Elders have worked on previously include...

Access to Justice

Access to justice for all is an important human right. We worked with governments and civil society to help make this right a reality.

Refugees and Migration

We championed the need for compassion, tolerance and solidarity in response to vulnerable people on the move.

Universal Health Coverage

We made global and country-level interventions to support UHC in the broader context of pandemic preparedness and response, and the SDGs.

Child Marriage

Child marriage affects millions of girls worldwide. We brought together organisations working locally, nationally and internationally in a global partnership to end this harmful practice.

The Elders' Strategy 2023-2027

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