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This is President Lula’s moment to cement his status as a global climate leader

Graça Machel Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

19 November 2024

Graça Machel and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf write for Le Monde Diplomatique Brasil, urging President Lula to lead the G20 in advancing climate justice

World leaders must reject the path of chaos

Juan Manuel Santos

8 November 2024

Juan Manuel Santos reflects on his new role as Chair of The Elders, highlights discussions from the recent board meeting in London, and calls on world leaders to act responsibly amid escalating global conflicts

Elders Statements

Failure to respect rule of law risks collapse of global stability

The Elders today express their alarm at the escalating crises facing the world and urge leaders to uphold the rule of law

Elders Statements

The Elders call for strong international leadership on AI governance after Summit of the Future

The Elders call for continued leadership from the UN and member states to drive forward inclusive global governance of AI

As the global community looks to the UN for leadership, it remains increasingly paralysed

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein reflects on High-Level Week at the UN, calling for courageous global leadership and strengthened multilateralism

Speeches and Discussions

The current failure of leadership is not gender neutral

Mary Robinson delivered the Kofi Annan Peace Address at Geneva Peace Week 2024, calling for greater respect for humanitarian law and gender parity in leadership.

Reinforcing the multilateral system: Counting on Europe to keep us from the brink

15 October 2024

Ernesto Zedillo addressed the World in Progress Forum on the importance of multilateralism

Speeches and Discussions

Elders Statements

The Elders stress neutrality on Ukraine cannot be an option following Kyiv visit

Juan Manuel Santos Ban Ki-moon

The Elders call for increased international support for Ukraine and stress that neutrality is not a moral option in the face of continued Russian aggression.

українська

The Elders visit Kyiv to show solidarity with Ukraine

Ban Ki-moon Juan Manuel Santos

The Elders are today visiting Kyiv to show their support for President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression.

Elders Statements

The Elders urge Iran to seize the moment and endorse nuclear breakthrough

The Elders call for participants in the Vienna negotiations to endorse the latest proposals to resolve the talks about the future of the nuclear deal.

With hope and action, we can forge a fairer future

Juan Manuel Santos

Juan Manuel Santos reflects on the state of hope today and the legacies of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

Mandela brought the Elders together 15 years ago. They are needed now, more than ever.

Graça Machel reflects on The Elders' May board meeting in South Africa, the climate crisis and Ukraine.

Speeches and Discussions

We must work together to make justice for all a reality

At the World Justice Forum, Mary Robinson reiterates the need for inclusive, intergenerational, people-centered justice systems.

Speeches and Discussions

Cooperation between China and US crucial for sustainability and prosperity

Mary Robinson emphasises how cooperation between China and the US is needed to develop robust frameworks for 21st century governance.

The Elders call on all parties to JCPOA to seek compromise and keep talks alive

Ahead of the resumption of JCPOA talks in Vienna, The Elders call on all parties to show courageous leadership and a willingness to compromise.

Our planet is on the table at COP26

As world leaders gather in Glasgow for the most important climate summit of the decade, Ricardo Lagos reflects on what is at stake, and reiterates The Elders' calls for ambitious leadership at COP26.

Speeches and Discussions

Human rights and solidarity are at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals

Human rights and solidarity are at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The climate crisis and COVID-19 defined this year’s UN General Assembly

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

Zeid Raad Al Hussein reiterates the need for global solutions to global problems, and the pivotal role of the multilateral system in addressing our shared challenges such as the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speeches and Discussions

The international community must act responsibly on Afghanistan

Lakhdar Brahimi

Lakhdar Brahimi addresses the UN Security Council on the precarious situation in Afghanistan and calls for unity within the international community to support the Afghan people.

Speeches and Discussions

A united and purposeful Security Council is needed now more than ever

Mary Robinson addresses the UN Security Council on its crucial role in preventing conflict, the need for nuclear non-proliferation, and the overhanging threat of climate change.

Multilateralism is key to tackling both global conflicts and the climate crisis

The Elders call for responsible and ethical leadership amid concerns about conflict in Afghanistan and the climate emergency.

A human rights approach to global challenges

The world will neither rebuild from the pandemic, nor have any chance of tackling wider existential threats, until leaders once more instill a sense of hope in political and civic life, writes Mary Robinson.

Elders Statements

The Elders urge heads of state to demonstrate personal leadership on pandemic prevention

The Elders today called on world leaders to take direct, personal responsibility for leading efforts to prevent a future global pandemic and manage the continued threat posed by COVID-19

Marking Mandela’s legacy with a week of Elders’ discussion

The Elders’ State of Hope seeks to explore Nelson Mandela's vision in the context of contemporary challenges.

The Elders call on G7 leaders to seize the moment on vaccines and climate action

The Elders call on G7 leaders to take urgent action on vaccine distribution and pledge new climate finance at the G7 summit 11-13 June, or risk further weakening the multilateral system on which future progress and prosperity depends.

Preventing future pandemics and reforming the UN Security Council

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf reflects on the recent report by the IPPPR and what is needed to ensure its recommendations are meaningfully acted upon by world leaders and international institutions.

Elders Statements

Myanmar risks state failure without significant increase in international pressure, The Elders warn

The Elders call on the international community to intensify pressure on the military leadership in Myanmar to prevent the country descending into endemic violence and state failure.

COVID-19 offers an opportunity to reform the multilateral system

As COVID-19 has exposed the wide failure of global governance, Ernesto Zedillo calls for the world to seize this opportunity to reform the multilateral system to ensure future accountability and effectiveness.

Speeches and Discussions

The UN and its regional partners have a ‘fleeting window’ to cooperate on Myanmar

Highlighting the situation in Myanmar, Ban Ki-moon calls on the UN Security Council to work with regional partners to maintain peace and security.

Women’s leadership must drive the global recovery from COVID-19

Marking International Women's Day 2021, Mary Robinson reflects on why women leadership is crucial in achieving a more equal society post-COVID-19, and why the success of COP26 will depend on it. Published in Inter Press Service.

Speeches and Discussions

The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis for human rights and development

Mary Robinson addresses the UN Human Rights Council on the rights of the child and the SDGs, highlighting the importance to uphold rights for the most vulnerable in the global community amid COVID-19.

The Elders call on President Biden to reverse the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism

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.

COVID-19 shows that we cannot take stability and competent governance for granted

With the Doomsday Clock remaining at just 100 seconds to midnight, Gro Harlem Brundtland warns of an alarmingly high level of existential risk to humanity. Published in Project Syndicate.

Lakhdar Brahimi: “A return to the world order before Donald Trump is neither possible nor desirable”

While the crisis of multilateralism has been accelerated by the Trump administration, it has its roots in the attitude of the United States, which has imposed its supremacy since the fall of the Berlin Wall, flouting international law.

2021 must be a year of enlightened and empathetic action

Mary Robinson calls for solidarity, inclusion and generosity of spirit, as we seek to overcome our common challenges in 2021.

Elders Statements

The Elders call for urgent action to address multilateral failings exposed by COVID-19

The Elders call on world leaders to urgently strengthen, defend, and realise the potential of the multilateral system, to end the current disarray in the global order.

The need for principled global leadership and cooperation has never been more important

As COVID-19 continues to hit our societies at great cost, the need for far-sighted, innovative and principled global leadership and cooperation has never been more important.

Securing our common future in the era of COVID-19: multilateral action is key

From the achievements of sustainable development and empowering women to the need for pandemic preparedness and investing in universal health coverage, Gro Harlem Brundtland discusses the power of multilateralism, in this interview with The ASEAN magazine

The COVID-19 pandemic presents the UN with its biggest challenge yet

Ban Ki-moon warns that if we fail to respond to COVID-19 and other shared threats with a renewed sense of solidarity and collective action, we will have dishonoured the victims of the virus and betrayed the hopes that the UN’s founding generation had.

A Time for Renewal: Calling for a Strengthened Multilateral System

Mary Robinson, Ban Ki-moon, Hina Jilani, Ricardo Lagos, Graça Machel and Juan Manuel Santos join global leaders to call for decisive action to defend and rejuvenate multilateralism, in an open letter to Heads of Governments.

Elders join UN75 Global Governance Forum

On 16 and 17 September, Mary Robinson, Ban Ki-moon, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Hina Jilani and Juan Manuel Santos will join the UN75 Global Governance Forum.

Speeches and Discussions

Pandemics and the challenges of sustaining peace

Ban Ki-moon addresses a virtual session of the UN Security Council on the challenges of sustaining peace during COVID-19.

COVID-19's threat to our global civilisation and the need for collective responsibility

Writing for Kyodo News, Gro Harlem Brundtland calls for collective action to address multiple crises affecting global civilisation, from COVID-19 and climate change to nuclear proliferation and assaults on the multilateral system.

Elders address UK Foreign Affairs Committee on the need for global leadership

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Juan Manuel Santos and Zeid Raad Al Hussein draw on their experiences in office and reflect on challenges facing leaders as they grapple with COVID-19.

Finding Humanity Webinar: what it means to build back better in a post-COVID-19 world

Mary Robinson & Juan Manuel Santos in discussion with Finding Humanity Podcast host Hazami Barmada on what it means to ‘build back better’ in a post COVID-19 world.

Speeches and Discussions

A century ago, too few leaders had the courage to tackle global threats collectively. Will today's leaders step up?

Warning about the terrible consequences of the failures of multilateralism and far-sighted leadership, Ban Ki-moon urges inclusive governance and collective action to solve global challenges.

Multilateralism is the world’s insurance policy against existential threats

This is a timely moment to honour the vision and values of the United Nations

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Mary Robinson, Ban Ki-moon & Ernesto Zedillo enjoyed a good meeting with @antonioguterres at @UN. They discussed global security issues inc. Ukraine and Israel/Palestine, how to strengthen multilateralism amid geopolitical tensions, & plans for the upcoming Summit of the Future. pic.twitter.com/lY1HWKn8Ku
— The Elders (@TheElders) June 27, 2024

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