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

News & Insight
Who We Are
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Ban Ki-moon

Deputy Chair

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; a medical doctor who champions health as a human right; 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 advocate 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

Deputy Chair

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

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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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Mary Robinson

Chair of The Elders

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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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

Elder Emeritus

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

Elder Emeritus

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

Elder Emeritus

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

Elder Emeritus

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

Elder Emeritus

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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How we work & what we do

The Elders work covers three overarching themes...

Governance and Leadership

Global challenges require global solutions

Conflict, its Causes and Consequences

Peace and the prevention of conflict is possible

Inequality, Exclusion and Injustice

Building a more stable world
Latest News & Insight More on what we do

Latest News & Insight

 Opinion

The world needs to recognise and respond to this wake up call
24 Jan 2020
The Doomsday Clock shows we are closer to global catastrophe than ever before - this needs to be a wake-up call for the world. 
Climate Change, Ethical Leadership
 Speech

We are faced by a gathering storm of extinction-level consequences, and time is running out.
23 Jan 2020
Unveiling the 2020 Doomsday Clock in Washington D.C., Mary Robinson calls for an urgent change of mindset to challenge the existential threats facing humanity.
Climate Change, Ethical Leadership
 Press release

Doomsday Clock 2020: it is 100 seconds to midnight
23 Jan 2020
Mary Robinson and Ban Ki-moon join experts from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists for the unveiling of the Doomsday Clock
Climate Change, Ethical Leadership
 Guest Blog

We need new voices in the nuclear disarmament debate
22 Jan 2020
Britt Vegting, a medical student from The Netherlands and advocate for meaningful youth participation in discussions on abolishment of nuclear weapons, writes about her experience as activist raising awareness about the threat of nuclear weapons.
Ethical Leadership
 Guest Blog

Nuclear weapons are Issue Zero
20 Jan 2020
Cecili Thompson Williams, executive director of Beyond the Bomb, highlights the importance of youth activism and leadership to ensure a nuclear weapons-free future
Ethical Leadership
 News

The Doomsday clock is ticking.
15 Jan 2020
The Elders will be unveiling the Doomsday Clock on 23 January 2020
Climate Change, Ethical Leadership
 Opinion

2020 must be a year of multilateral action on nuclear arms, climate and gender
10 Jan 2020
Reflecting on the challenges we face as the world enters a new decade, Mary Robinson highlights the importance of multilateralism and collective solidarity
Climate Change, Ethical Leadership
The Elders in the world

Video and gallery content from The Elders

Together, we can shape a better future for us all
 Video
2019: a year in review
 Gallery
#NuclearThreat: a call for minimisation
 Video
#JusticeForAll: Elders' call for greater commitments
 Video
Together #WithRefugees: Elders visit Gambela, Ethiopia
 Gallery
 Join the conversation Discover more video and galleries

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