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Press release

Bold action is needed to make sustainable development a reality

Elders blog

Women must be at the heart of the new Egypt

News

'The Elders' take a stand against child marriage

Guest blog

Addressing the Food Aid Dilemma in North Korea: School Meals

Photos

Building a brighter future for all: The Elders meet Brazilian youth

Throughout their work, the Elders strive to hear from young people. Having met youth of Cairo, Gaza, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, Nicosia, Pyongyang, Ramallah and Seoul in the past few years, they welcomed the opportunity of their biannual gathering in Rio de Janeiro, in October 2011, to meet around fifty young Brazilians.

Elders blog

Women, religion and change

Elders blog

Time to close the gap

Videos

Inside the Elders’ meeting in Rio

Fernando Henrique Cardoso offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Elders’ meeting in Rio de Janeiro in October 2011. The Elders meet twice a year to discuss their initiatives to promote peace and human rights. With fellow Elders Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, Jimmy Carter and Martti Ahtisaari, President Cardoso talks about the Elders’ recent work on child marriage, the Middle East peace process and the Korean Peninsula.

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Genuine peace should be the primary goal of all nations. Regarding Israel and the Palestinians, the goal should be the same as long as both have security and complete sovereignty.
August Woerner
Westerly, RI
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The Elders

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

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

Kofi Annan

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

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

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

Gro Brundtland

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

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

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

Graça Machel

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

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

Chair of The Elders

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