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

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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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 and former Director-General of the World Health Organization; 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

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

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Mary Robinson

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

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

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

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

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

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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COVID-19 Hub
Reflections, updates and insights on the COVID-19 pandemic
Finding Humanity

Juan Manuel Santos

On Climate Leadership

CNBC

Women are key to the response

Global leaders are still not working together at an appropriate scale and speed in their response to COVID-19.
Juan Manuel Santos
COVID-19 has revealed a collective failure by leaders and policymakers to take pandemic prevention, preparedness and response seriously.
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Sky News Daily

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

On the need for global leadership

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Our key programmes

Ethical Leadership & Multilateral Cooperation
Conflict Countries & Regions
Universal Health Coverage
Climate Change
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.
Find out more

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

Guest Blog
Closed borders and vaccine injustice: COVID-19 and migration in Latin America
Mauricio Viloria and Diana Ortiz Viloria of MECoPa write about the need to recognise the ways in which restrictions on forced migration amplify risks to public health.
News
From conflict to climate change: collective efforts are needed to overcome the challenges we face
03 Feb 2021
COVID-19 affected every aspect of our lives in 2020, and how we respond to it as a global community has important implications for our approach to other shared, existential threats including climate change and nuclear weapons.
Statement
The Elders call on President Biden to reverse the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism
02 Feb 2021
The Elders today called on President Biden to take immediate steps to reverse the decision, taken by the former Trump Administration on 11 January, to redesignate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Statement
The Elders condemn military coup d’état in Myanmar
01 Feb 2021
The Elders today condemned the coup d’état by the military in Myanmar and called on the international community to exert pressure for an immediate return to civilian rule.
Speech
The hands of the Doomsday Clock remain still: the existential challenges we face do not
27 Jan 2021
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf warns that while the 2021 Doomsday Clock hands remain at 100 seconds to midnight, the existential threats we face demand urgent action.
Statement
The Elders welcome US-Russian agreement to extend New START nuclear treaty
27 Jan 2021
The Elders today welcomed the agreement by US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) for five years.
Opinion
A global fossil fuel registry is key to governments taking urgent climate action
19 Jan 2021
Ricardo Lagos calls for greater transparency and accountability from governments to deliver a coordinated, international approach to reducing fossil fuel production. Published in El Pais.
The Elders in the world

Video and gallery content from The Elders

Videos
Together, we can shape a better future for us all
At a time of populism and isolationism, when polarised politics and self-interest have the upper hand, The Elders offer an alternative approach.
Photos
2020: a year in review
2020 was a year like no other as COVID-19 wreaked havoc on people’s lives across the world. During this time, The Elders continued to deliver on Nelson Mandela’s mandate to “support courage where there is fear” and “inspire hope where there is despair”
Videos
Israel-Palestine: the realities of occupation
Gro Harlem Brundtland joins Nadav Weiman, a former IDF soldier and Deputy Director of Breaking the Silence, to discuss his military service, the realities of occupation and hopes for peace between Israel and Palestine.
Photos
#PeaceCrane2020: Imagining a world free from nuclear weapons
The Elders mark the 75th Anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by folding an origami crane and sharing a message of peace.
Videos
#NuclearThreat: a call for minimisation
Ban Ki-moon, Ernesto Zedillo, Gro Harlem Brundtland and Mary Robinson explain why all nuclear powers must pursue policies of nuclear minimisation, to preserve peace for future generations.
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