Clear all filters

Speeches and Discussions

Nature must no longer be a silent victim of war

20 November 2024

Mary Robinson highlights the environmental impact of conflicts during the Ukraine Pavilion panel at COP29

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

Graça Machel warns of signs of ethnic cleansing in Gaza

Graça Machel warns of alarming signs of ethnic cleansing in Gaza amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe

World leaders must reject the path of chaos

Juan Manuel Santos

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

Juan Manuel Santos named new Chair of The Elders

Juan Manuel Santos

The former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Laureate will become The Elders’ fourth Chair

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

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

21 October 2024

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

Elders Statements

The frontlines of leadership, from two ex-Presidents (part two)

"We get energised by the idealism of many young people, their wish for better leadership in our world." Mary RobinsonFrom early influences to religion and the meaning of life, Martti Ahtisaari and Mary Robinson speak to Mayumi Yoshinari from Chuo-Koron

Introduction to The Elders

"With their experience, and their profound commitment to building a better world – let us call them global Elders." Nelson MandelaIn July 2007, Nelson Mandela brought together The Elders, independent leaders using their collective experience and

Elders in Iran: encouraging openness and trust

If leaders fail, people will lead

“People want responsible leadership. On big issues, they are not going to sit in their homes. They will act and press for action.”
Kofi Annan speaks to Subhabrata Guha of the Times of India, urging governments and grassroots alike to take tough decis

Elders Statements

The Elders conclude fruitful first visit to Iran

"We are convinced that Iran can be a key factor for stability and opportunity in the region." Kofi Annan
After a series of meetings with the country’s leadership, The Elders are encouraged by Iran’s new spirit of openness and dialogue with the outsid

Elders in Iran: "we must rebuild trust and mutual respect"

At the start of The Elders' three-day visit to Iran, Kofi Annan speaks to journalists following a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

Elders Statements

Media advisory: The Elders to visit Iran from 26-29 January 2014

Kofi Annan, Martti Ahtisaari, Desmond Tutu and Ernesto Zedillo travel to Tehran to discuss Iran's relations with the international community.

Uma chamada à liderança sobre mudanças no clima

"Todos os anos, a incapacidade em agir nos deixa mais próximos de um ponto sem retorno, no qual os cientistas receiam que as mudanças climáticas possas se tornar irreversíveis."
No início de um ano decisivo para agir sobre as mudanças climáticas,

The frontlines of leadership, from two ex-Presidents (part one)

"If you have double standards, you undermine the morality and integrity of human rights." Mary RobinsonIn the first of a two-part interview with Mayumi Yoshinari for Chuo-Koron, Martti Ahtisaari and Mary Robinson discuss climate justice, impunity and th

Ignore climate change at your peril

"SDGs without climate change would have no credibility."
As government and civil society meet in New York to discuss the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mary Robinson calls for climate change to be included in the post-2015 framework. First pub

Sympathy for the migrant

“States that tighten their borders encourage desperate people to take greater risks to cross them.”
Urging governments to rethink their immigration policies, Kofi Annan calls for a more compassionate approach to those seeking refuge or economic oppor

Hina Jilani: the life of a human rights activist

“Activism is not a drug. It is a choice that is consciously made.”
In an interview with Yo Dona, the women’s supplement of Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Hina Jilani speaks about her life as a Pakistani human rights defender and explains why she recen

Time to be bold and make peace in Syria

"No one can win this war."
Writing in The Washington Post, Jimmy Carter and Carter Center Senior Advisor Robert A Pastor suggest three alternative preconditions that could bring Syria's warring parties to the negotiating table.

Can 2014 be a turning point for Syria?

“Humanitarian access must be an urgent priority at Geneva II.”Lesley-Anne Knight, CEO of The Elders, urges the international community to ensure January’s peace conference in Geneva delivers meaningful decisions for the embattled people of Syria.

الحكماء: يمكن لمشروع الدستور المصري أن يكون خطوة هامة إلى الأمام

Elders in Johannesburg for Mandela's memorial service

"The world has lost a visionary leader, a courageous voice for justice and a clear moral compass."
As the Elders prepare to attend Nelson Mandela's memorial service in South Africa, Kofi Annan gives a statement on behalf of The Elders honouring the life

Remembering the people who make rights meaningful

Hina Jilani celebrates Mandela and the individuals like him who challenge injustice and safeguard the fundamental rights we all share.

Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter and fellow Elders travel to South Africa for Nelson Mandela’s funeral

A delegation of Elders including Kofi Annan, Martti Ahtisaari, Lakhdar Brahimi, Jimmy Carter and Mary Robinson will travel to South Africa to attend the memorial service for Nelson Mandela on Tuesday 10 December.

Africans must walk to freedom in Mandela’s memory

Mandela e a libertação das amarras da revanche

“Não foi ele quem buscou a glória, foi esta que o procurou.”
Publicado em O Globo, Fernando Henrique Cardoso reflete sobre o feito de Nelson Mandela, um líder único e inspirador.

Nelson Mandela: uniting humanity around the world

The Elders are deeply saddened by the death of their founder Nelson Mandela, and join millions around the world who were inspired by his courage and touched by his compassion.

Nelson Mandela: "the most inspiring individual I have ever met"

"As we mourn the passing of this extraordinary man, and young people around the world feel a particular sense of loss, we can honour him best by giving of ourselves to others."Mary Robinson pays tribute to The Elders' founder, Nelson Mandela.

Elders Statements

The Elders honour the memory of their Founder, Nelson Mandela

“Nelson Mandela stands as an inspiration to us all” – Kofi AnnanThe Elders are deeply saddened by the death of their founder, Nelson Mandela. They join millions of people around the world who were inspired by his courage and touched by his compass

Forthright and feminist: Norway's first woman leader

"Next time a woman becomes Party Leader or Prime Minister of Norway, she will not meet the same problems that I had."In an in-depth interview with Mayumi Yoshinari for Japanese political affairs magazine Chuo-Koron, Gro Harlem Brundtland discusses every

Vote yes to protect women human rights defenders

“This vote recognises the courageous women who defy patriarchy every day.”
Amid concerns that some UN member states may vote against a resolution to protect women human rights defenders, Gro Harlem Brundtland and Hina Jilani author an open letter urg

Women live in a profoundly different, more dangerous world

"The abuse of women and girls is the most pervasive and unaddressed human rights violation on earth."Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Jimmy Carter condemns the widespread discrimination that justifies and perp

Climate crisis: who will act?

“If governments are unwilling to lead when leadership is required, people must.”
Writing in The New York Times, Kofi Annan warns that a failure of leadership on climate change would be catastrophic.

The Elders warmly welcome Geneva interim agreement with Iran

“After years of inconclusive negotiations, this is an important step forward in restoring confidence between Iran and the international community.” Kofi AnnanAs the P5+1 and Iran reach an interim deal on Iran's nuclear programme, The Elders welcome

Typhoon Haiyan is a warning: we need to change the climate debate

“Climate change is a problem caused by people, with impacts on people, and must be solved by people.”Writing from the UN climate conference in Warsaw, Mary Robinson calls for transformative leadership to recognise climate change as a human rights is

Women's rights must not be taken for granted

"Why is it so important to promote and safeguard gender equality? It is a matter of human rights. It is a matter of democracy. Also, it is pure common sense."Marking 100 years of women's right to vote in Norway, former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtla

The Elders debate ethical leadership (part 2)

The Elders warn of threat to Israel-Palestine peace process

"Continued settlement building is deeply unhelpful at this critical moment in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process" – Kofi AnnanThe Elders condemn Israel's latest construction plans for Palestinian East Jerusalem as a threat to the two-state solution

Global drugs policy – time for a smarter approach?

“Putting people’s health and safety first is an imperative, not an afterthought.”
New approaches to drugs policy are being adopted by a number of countries around the world. This a chance to move on from the failed and repressive policies of the gl

A first step to peace in eastern DRC?

Mary Robinson and fellow international envoys welcome the end of hostilities between the M23 rebel group and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Elders debate ethical leadership (part 1)

“Reconciliation is a long-term process, not an event”

Kofi Annan visited Côte d’Ivoire last month to assess the country’s progress since the post-election violence of 2010-11. While welcoming promising signs of economic recovery, he urged Ivorians to work together to build an inclusive future and prepar

The Elders hail progress in Iran nuclear talks

Kofi Annan calls for swift progress and an early resolution of the crisisAhead of the next round of talks on the Iranian nuclear programme, The Elders urge all parties to seize this historic opportunity to move towards a deal.

Elders in South Africa for ethical leadership debate

“It’s important that you don’t just speak truth to power, but you also show wisdom to power.” Hina Jilani The Elders, together with Al Jazeera’s South2North programme, held a public debate this week in Cape Town asking, "What is ethical leader

Who will lead Syria out of crisis?

“To talk about ‘ethical leadership’ is to speak from experience, not because you were a perfect leader but because you were thrust into difficult situations, and maybe you helped to see humanity prevail.”Writing in the Cape Times, Desmond Tutu r

Brazil's accidental president

“Why are young people reacting against political life? Because of the lack of clarity, sincerity, and accountability.”Fernando Henrique Cardoso speaks to Mayumi Yoshinari for Japanese current affairs magazine Chuo-Koron about leadership and democrac



Keep up to date with The Elders’ COVID-19 digest:

Sign up to receive regular updates about The Elders’ activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will never share your email address with third parties.



Keep up to date with The Elders latest News and Insight:

Sign up to receive monthly newsletters from The Elders. We will occasionally send you other special updates and news, but we'll never share your email address with third parties.

Name *

Email *

Country

I agree to be contacted by email. Privacy Policy

Close 

Join the conversation

View our latest social content

Sign up to our newsletter

 Get updates with The Elders newsletter

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

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Elders (@theelders_org)

Home