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At UNGA, leaders must change course on pandemics

Gro Harlem Brundtland Helen Clark

14 September 2023

Ahead of the UNGA High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR), The Elders lay out their calls to action for a healthier, safer world.

Helen Clark joins The Elders as group continues push for courageous leadership on existential threats

Helen Clark Mary Robinson

14 September 2023

The Elders today welcomed former New Zealand Prime Minister and UNDP leader Helen Clark as the newest member of their group.

The time is now for action on climate and pandemics

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

In our latest newsletter, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein considers the multilateral cooperation needed on the climate crisis and pandemics as the Africa Climate Summit progresses and the G20 and United Nations General Assembly High-Level week approach.

The Loss and Damage Youth Coalition on financing climate justice

The Loss and Damage Youth Coalition on financing climate justice

The Elders' calls to action ahead of COP28

The Elders lay out their calls to action that must be delivered ahead of COP28 to ensure climate justice and a liveable future.

Living Mandela's legacy: we must keep rising up until the future is safe and just

In our latest newsletter, Graça Machel considers Nelson Mandela's legacy, the scale of the nuclear threat, and the vital need for women's leadership in addressing today's urgent challenges.

We cannot stop until there is equity for all: Women Deliver 2023 in pictures

We cannot stop until there is equity for all: Women Deliver 2023 in pictures

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.

Elders Statements

The Elders deplore dereliction of leadership at COP26 and call for urgent climate action

The Elders express disappointment at the lack of progress at COP26.

Speeches and Discussions

Parliamentarians must make sure climate commitments are met after COP26

Speaking at COP26, Mary Robinson asks the Inter-Parliamentary Union to use their voices in the fight against the climate crisis.

Speeches and Discussions

Leaders have to come up with a pathway to close the gap to 1.5°C

Juan Manuel Santos

Juan Manuel Santos addresses the Sustainable Innovation Forum at COP26, discussing how climate action and preventing biodiversity loss must go hand in hand.

No climate action without climate education

Jordan Madden is a young climate activist from the US. He explains why climate education is the basis for climate action. Foreword by Mary Robinson.

COP26: A roadmap to 1.5°C requires leaders to show a ‘crisis mindset’

As the World Leaders Summit closes and the detailed COP26 negotiations begin, are we on track to keep 1.5°C alive?

Speeches and Discussions

"Climate finance must be distributed in a gender-responsive way"

Mary Robinson urges for women's voices to be heard in climate finance discussions at COP26.

Radical action at COP26 is urgently needed to tackle the climate crisis

Leaders must step up and face their responsibilities in Glasgow to keep 1.5°C alive.

Speeches and Discussions

The legal community must refuse to remain silent in the face of the climate crisis

Mary Robinson explores the important role the legal community has to play to uphold human rights in the climate crisis.

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.

The Elders condemn Israel’s illegal settlement expansion and call on its allies to act

Israeli plans for more than 3,100 new homes in the West Bank threatens the viability of the two-state solution and violates Palestinian rights.

Hope at COP26 must be backed by decisive action from world leaders

Major political efforts are required in Glasgow if we are to have any hope of averting the most disastrous consequences of climate change.

The Elders call for PM’s release after reported coup in Sudan

The Elders express concern at the reported coup in Sudan and call for the immediate release of Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok.

Speeches and Discussions

Imagine a future with the courage needed to achieve climate justice

Mary Robinson addresses delegates at the Arctic Circle Assembly, discussing the damage of global warming and climate injustice.

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.

Climate change: women must be heard at COP26

The growing climate crisis affects more women than men, and its solutions must reflect the fact that it is a feminist issue, writes Mary Robinson.

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.

"In the end, what we need is justice": Born into the climate crisis

Championed by Ban Ki-moon, Mitzi Jonelle Tan from the Philippines writes about the frightening and devastating impacts of climate change and calls for an urgent end to the burning of fossil fuels.

Speeches and Discussions

The leadership of the G20 is crucial in securing a safer future

Ban Ki-moon addresses leaders at the F20 Climate Solutions Forum, emphasising the need for G20 leaders to step up their climate commitments ahead of climate COP26 in Glasgow.

“When the ocean suffers, we all suffer”: Tackling the crises of plastics and climate change

Eighteen-year-old climate activist Hannah Testa from the US writes about the links between ocean pollution and climate change and calls forcefully for urgent action taking a holistic view on the climate crisis.

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.

Elders Statements

The Elders condemn attempted coup in Guinea

The Elders condemn the attempted coup in Guinea and call on those behind it to immediately release President Alpha Condé.

The next level of climate advocacy: Beyond fake smiles and fruitless handshakes

Sudanese climate activist Nisreen Elsaim advocates a comprehensive view on climate justice that considers intergenerational, geographical and gender justice, regardless of personal and national wealth.

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.

The impacts of climate change: Why biodiversity matters

Priyanka Lalla, a 14-year-old climate activist from Trinidad and Tobago, on the links between biodiversity and climate change, and how and we urgently need to restore nature’s balance.

Australia must do its part and lift its climate commitments

Amid a critical decade for our planet and ahead of COP26, Australia must commit to net-zero emissions by 2050 and pledge new climate finance, says Ban Ki-moon.

Alistair Fernie appointed Chief Executive of The Elders

The Elders is delighted to announce the appointment of Alistair Fernie as its new Chief Executive.

The Elders call for UN unity and leadership on Afghanistan after Taliban takeover

The Elders call on the UN to lead the international community’s efforts to encourage a peaceful transition and protection of human rights of all Afghans, following the military takeover of Kabul by the Taliban.

Climate catastrophe can be averted if leaders act now

The chance to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C is slim but still possible, says Mary Robinson amid increasing worries about a liveable future planet.

The Elders urge leaders to act on climate following IPCC report

Mary Robinson Ricardo Lagos Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

New IPCC assessment of the climate crisis bolsters case for urgent action ahead of COP26.

We need hope to achieve a better, fairer and more sustainable world

Hina Jilani emphasises the importance of nurturing our democracies and civil society in a post-pandemic world characterised by hope.

What does it take to reach our full potential as climate activists?

Young siblings Jayson and Jayrose 'Mika' Capelle from the Marshall Islands write about their experiences as climate activists in a climate-vulnerable island state, and how the climate crisis is about more than climate change.

The Global North must uphold the principles of the UN Refugee Convention

Seventy years ago, the world made a pact to protect refugees: the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. Yet too many of our leaders are failing to uphold that promise, writes Ban Ki-moon.

Peacemaking after the COVID-19 pandemic

Juan Manuel Santos

Juan Manuel Santos reflects on how leaders must foster hope and anchor policies in empathy, solidarity, and a long-term vision of the common good, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The power of civil society in a post-pandemic world

At a time when the foundations of democracy are under siege, we must ensure a vibrant civil society to progress on pressing issues – from economic and educational inequality to racial justice and climate change, says Hina Jilani.

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.

La igualdad de género, la justicia climática y la educación van de la mano

La activista por la justicia climática Julieta Martínez de Chile reflexiona sobre la intersección del cambio climático, la igualdad de género y la educación, y llama a abordar la crisis climática desde una perspectiva feminista.

Gender equality, climate justice and education go hand in hand

Climate justice activist Julieta Martínez from Chile reflects on the intersection between climate change, gender equality and education and calls for the climate crisis to be viewed from a feminist perspective.

Speeches and Discussions

The Elders to address the global ‘state of hope’ in a week of activity to mark Mandela Day

From 12 July, The Elders will bring together high-profile voices from across the world to launch a major new initiative to consider the State of Hope in these unprecedented times.

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