Two members of The Elders are joining 'The B Team', a new non-profit initiative launched today that will work to deliver a new way of doing business: one that prioritises people and planet alongside profit.

The High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, appointed to design a framework to replace the Millennium Development Goals, released its report last week. Its recommendations include a goal on peace and security, and recognise child marriage as a key indicator of girls' and women's empowerment.

“Poverty is day-to-day violence, no less destructive than war.”

Receiving the 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, Ela Bhatt re-examines our idea of peace, arguing that equity, local economies and the empowerment of women through work are central to supporting economic freedoms, and therefore peace.

Final report – August 2012

In the spring of 2012, The Elders and four young activists began an inter-generational debate about the change needed to secure a sustainable future for our planet, in the run-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). This report discusses the thinking behind the initiative, what it was able to achieve and the momentum it generated to further promote sustainable development.

With efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals focused on the target date of 2015, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announces the appointment of Graça Machel and 25 other civil society, private sector and government leaders as members of a new high-level panel tasked with outlining a vision of the post-2015 global development agenda.

"If government representatives had heard the heartfelt yearning for change, perhaps they would have given their negotiators a stronger mandate: a mandate to create the future we want and which the earth needs."

Writing for CNN, Mary Robinson echoes the frustration felt by those who had higher expectations for Rio+20 and urges people everywhere to mobilise to ensure an equitable, prosperous and sustainable future for the world.

"Like no other generation before, we can choose the type of future that we will leave to the next generation. A transition to a safe and prosperous future is possible, but will require the full use of humanity’s extraordinary capacity for innovation and creativity... Tinkering at the edges will not do the job."

Gro Harlem Brundtland writes in the International Herald Tribune as world leaders gather for the Rio+20 summit on sustainable development.

As world leaders gather in Brazil for Rio+20, the Elders and Youngers answer your questions on sustainable development, the world we want and how we can achieve it.

Watch the Q&A videos of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Mary Robinson and Gro Harlem Brundtland with the Youngers.

“I share the frustration of millions, outraged at the indifference world leaders are demonstrating towards some of the toughest and most urgent challenges we face today.”

Writing in the Huffington Post, Desmond Tutu voices his exasperation with our current leaders and looks to the next generation for the bold action needed to safeguard the future of our planet.

"We have not yet seen the necessary courage or political will to turn good intentions into effective, collective action."

In an opinion piece published in newspapers around the world, Gro Brundtland and Fernando H Cardoso outline the key steps that must be taken to guarantee Rio+20's success and lasting impact on sustainable development.