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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

 Guest Blog

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
21 Mar 2019
On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD), Caroline Kamana from Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition’s Education team, explores the power of Nelson Mandela’s legacy. 
Ethical Leadership
 Speech

Women in Power - the future of women’s leadership
15 Mar 2019
Mary Robinson discusses the outstanding achievements of powerful women and what remains to be done to encourage the success of future female leaders at Women in Power event at the United Nations.
Ethical Leadership
 Guest Blog

Standing strong in the wake of increasingly hostile US immigration policies
19 Mar 2019
With the Trump administration expanding a hard-line immigration policy, Greer Millard at The Florence Project highlights the importance of the organisations work with immigrants in Arizona. 
Refugees & Migration
 Guest Blog

Students, Sunrise and Rebels unite to defy extinction
14 Mar 2019
On 15 March students from around the world will join a global Youth Strike for Climate to demand that their leaders urgently take climate action. Extinction Rebellion Activist Farhana Yamin and #YouthStrike4Climate organiser Jake Woodier explain why.
Climate Change
 Guest Blog

The World Bank Group's defeat at the US Supreme Court will save its mission
14 Mar 2019
In this guest blog Kirk Herbertson, Advocacy Strategist at EarthRights International - one of the Spark of Hope organisations honoured by The Elders - explains the significance of a ruling from the US Supreme Court earlier this year. 
Access to Justice, Climate Change
 Opinion

Governing Geoengineering
11 Mar 2019
Ban Ki-moon calls for clear governance rules for geoengineering based on inclusive, multilateral engagement, and warns against complacency in the face of the unforeseen and unintended consequences of these new technologies. Published in Thomson Reuters.
Climate Change
 Opinion

Time's up for violence against women and girls
07 Mar 2019
Graça Machel decries the horrifying statistics on the prevalence of violence against women and girls on International Women's Day 2019. First published by Thomson Reuters Foundation. 
Access to Justice
The Elders in the world

Video and gallery content from The Elders

Mandela's vision for a better world
 Video
Mary Robinson: leading The Elders into its second decade
 Video
Elders tackle global issues at UN Noon Briefing
 Video
Highlights from #WalkTogether - continue Mandela's long walk to freedom
 Gallery
#NuclearThreat: a call for minimisation
 Video
 Join the conversation Discover more video and galleries

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