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.
More About Ban Ki-moonLakhdar Brahimi
Former Algerian freedom fighter, Foreign Minister, conflict mediator and UN diplomat; an expert in peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction.
More About Lakhdar BrahimiGro 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.
More About Gro Harlem BrundtlandZeid Raad Al Hussein
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; champion of international justice and multilateralism; veteran Jordanian diplomat and peacekeeping expert.
More About Zeid Raad Al HusseinHina Jilani
Pioneering lawyer and pro-democracy campaigner; a leading activist in Pakistan's women's movement and international champion of human rights.
More About Hina JilaniEllen 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.
More About Ellen Johnson SirleafRicardo 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.
More About Ricardo LagosGraça Machel
International advocate for women’s and children's rights; former freedom fighter and first Education Minister of Mozambique.
More About Graça MachelMary 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.
More About Mary RobinsonJuan Manuel Santos
Former President of Colombia; a Nobel Peace Laureate who led complex peace negotiations, ending over 50 years of intractable civil war.
More About Juan Manuel SantosErnesto 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.
More About Ernesto ZedilloMartti Ahtisaari
Former President of Finland; Nobel Peace Laureate and expert in international peace mediation, diplomacy and post-conflict state building.
More About Martti AhtisaariEla 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.
More About Ela BhattFernando 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.
More About Fernando Henrique CardosoJimmy Carter
Former President of the United States, Nobel Peace Laureate and veteran peace negotiator; dedicated to advancing peace, democracy and health worldwide.
More About Jimmy CarterDesmond 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’.
More About Desmond Tutu
COVID-19 Hub
Reflections, updates and insights on the COVID-19 pandemic
The Elders in the world