News & Insight | The Elders

The Elders call on leaders to prioritise access to justice and gender equality

The Elders call on leaders to prioritise access to justice and gender equality and for justice systems that are refocused on the needs of women and girls.

The Elders call for gender-just climate solutions

The Elders call for investment and support for climate vulnerable nations so that millions more women and girls in all their diversity can build resilience to climate and disaster risks, mitigate climate change, and address loss and damage.

The Elders call on leaders to invest in quality data and analysis on women’s justice problems and experiences

The Elders urge decision-makers to prioritise gender-disaggregated data to help understanding of where access to justice for women can be improved.

The Elders call on leaders to address justice for survivors of gender-based violence with renewed vigour

The Elders call for responsive justice services that are tailored to women’s needs and that empower women and inform them about their options at each stage of their justice journey.

The Elders call on leaders to increase funding for legal empowerment and justice services that meet the needs of women

The Elders call on governments, funders, and decision-makers to invest in legal empowerment and justice services for women - in particular those delivered by women’s groups.

The Elders call on leaders to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the justice sector

A lack of intersectional and feminist leadership in the justice sector – and the lack of diverse women’s voices in decision-making at every level – undermines progress to achieving gender equality and access to justice for all.

China, Japan and South Korea must work together to end coal use and funding

Ahead of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021, Ban Ki-moon calls for leadership to create a healthy, resilient and net zero-emissions future across Asia and beyond. Published in South China Morning Post.

COVID-19 and the impact on African women: all responses must respect the gendered impacts of the pandemic

In an open letter on the impact of COVID-19 on African women, Graça Machel calls for the criminal justice system to be strengthened and increased efforts around gender-based violence survivor support and protection.

Human Rights Committee Vranje: supporting survivors of domestic violence

Dejana Stosic, of the Human Rights Committee Vranje in Serbia, explains why girls' rights remain important and how the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped them from supporting survivors of gender-based violence.

Youth voices are vital: Intergenerational action on the climate crisis

Over the last ten weeks, The Elders have heard from 12 courageous young climate activists from around the world about their experiences and insights on the climate crisis.

Why medical students are calling for a healthy recovery

Omnia El Omrani, a medical student & climate activist from Egypt, reflects on the impact of climate change on public health and calls on governments to recognise investing in health is a key facilitator of sustainable development in the COVID-19 recovery.

Chhori: creating a society with no discrimination towards girls

Hira Dahal, Executive Director of Chhori, discusses working to increase access to justice for survivors of gender based violence in Nepal, addressing human trafficking, and adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the frontline of the climate crisis in Marshall Islands

Litokne Kabua, a young climate activist from the Marshall Islands, highlights the experience of small island communities living with the impacts of climate change. He implores world leaders to take action before it is too late.

Multilateralism is not an option, it is the only path

Mary Robinson outlines The Elders' defence of multilateralism at a virtual event to mark the 75th anniversary of the UN Charter.

Why The Climate Movement Must Unite Behind The Black Lives Matter Movement

Jamie Margolin, an 18-year-old Colombian American student, author and climate activist, shares a letter to fellow climate activists calling on them to recognise that the “fight for climate justice and the fight for social justice are inseparable.”

Why are we not speaking about the intersection of health and climate change?

Noting that it took a global pandemic to raise the importance of public health, David Imbago Jácome, a medical doctor from Ecuador, calls for a healthy recovery that takes care of both the most vulnerable and the planet.

We cannot afford to turn inwards as our own countries begin to recover from the virus.

May was an eventful month for The Elders, with both a podcast launch and our first-ever virtual board meeting.

Annual Review 2019: Together we can shape a better future for us all

The Elders' 2019 Annual Review is now available to download.

COVID-19 has gifted us a chance to end gender-based violence. We must take it

Noting that COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in an increase in domestic violence and a decrease in survivors' access to justice, Graça Machel calls for the global epidemic of gender-based violence to be rooted out as boldly as we are tackling COVID-19.

Climate Change: a threat to human health in Nigeria. Let’s take action!

Adegbile Deborah Morayo, a 12-year-old climate activist from Nigeria, writes about living with the impacts of environmental degradation and how this drives her passion to be a climate activist advocating for the right to a clean and healthy environment.

ASEAN must act to save Rohingya refugees in the Bay of Bengal

As thousands of displaced Rohingya are struggling to find sanctuary in the Bay of Bengal, Ban Ki-moon calls on governments in the region to take action, uphold the rule of law and show solidarity for those in peril on the sea

What is Broken and What is Beautiful: Creative Climate Adaptation

Championed by Ban Ki-moon, Brianna Fruean, a climate activist for Samoa, writes about three things she has seen, learned and been inspired by, across the globe during our current struggles.

Justice For Women Amidst COVID-19: we must safeguard women’s right to access justice

In a foreword for a new report published by UN Women, IDLO, UNDP, UNODC, World Bank and The Pathfinders, Graça Machel calls for action to safeguard women’s right to access justice during the pandemic.

The Elders call for bold multilateralism to drive global response to COVID-19

The Elders urge leaders to put multilateralism, solidarity and human rights at the heart of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to prioritise the health and economic needs of poorer countries in the Global South in the coming weeks and months

COVID-19: Gulf states are well positioned to lead the global response

Wise leadership, strategic investments and an open-minded foreign policy can ensure the Gulf region plays a key role in the global fight against COVID-19, Gro Harlem Brundtland writes in The National.

The Elders launch discussion on COVID-19 and global leadership with new podcast collaboration

The Elders launch discussion on COVID-19 and global leadership with new podcast collaboration

The COVID-19 response shows the real potential of what united climate action could achieve

Erin Fowler, a young climate activist from Scotland, UK, recalls the passion of local communities as they work together with global citizens to tackle transborder issues like climate change and plastic pollution.

Nationalism and partisan politics make it harder to tackle the existential threats to humanity.

Speaking online at the UN75 Virtual People's Forum on 14 May, Gro Harlem Brundtland discusses the new reality brought by COVID-19 and the attacks suffered by the multlateral system that have made the global fight against the pandemic even more difficult.

A global response to beat the virus is in all countries' interests. No one is safe until everyone is safe.

Ordinary citizens will remember which leaders stepped up to the challenge and delivered for their people, rather than retreating into shrill nationalism and the search for scapegoats, writes Gro Harlem Brundtland. First published in The Independent.

Ban Ki-moon: I support the UN’s call for a global ceasefire to help fight COVID-19

COVID-19 is a grave threat to all humanity, but people living in conflict zones are particularly vulnerable to its ravages.

Time to focus on a larger fight – coronavirus ceasefires

The Elders’ Head of Programmes, Jane Kinninmont, blogs on the impact of COVID-19 on conflicts around the world

The Elders call for new Middle East peace plan to counter Israeli annexation threat

The Elders today called for new engagement from the international community to deliver a just outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and uphold international law.

The connection between people and nature

Howey Ou, a climate activist from China, says that just as the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the whole planet, so too does the climate crisis. Warning against inaction, she calls for a collective effort to achieve climate justice.

COVID-19 demands a collective, rights-based response

An uncontrolled contagion, no matter where in the world, and no matter how localised, is a threat to all of humanity. Elder and former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf writes on the need for global cooperation to beat COVID-19.

The climate crisis is already here: Why we must listen to voices in the Global South

Vanessa Nakate, a young climate activist from Uganda, outlines the devastating impact of climate change and warns that those on the frontlines must be engaged in finding solutions. She also highlights the challenge of climate activism in the Global South

Justice must be an essential part of the COVID-19 response and recovery

The recently published Taskforce for Justice report Justice for All and the Public Health Emergency sounds the alarm over the human rights crisis posed by the coronavirus pandemic

Not losing hope: Climate action and lessons to learn in India

Ridhima Pandey, a 12-year-old climate activist from India explains the motivations behind her environmental activism and why she seeks to raise awareness about caring for the planet.

Too young to understand climate action? Actually, young people are leading the way

Theo Cullen-Mouze, a young climate activist from Ireland, argues that the COVID-19 response shows the capacity of the world to collaborate, mobilise vast resources and take radical action in times of crisis. He calls for intersectional climate justice.

The world and the Latin American and Caribbean region cannot afford delayed or inadequate responses to COVID-19

Ernesto Zedillo, Juan Manuel Santos, Ricardo Lagos and Elder Emeritus, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, outline the steps and policies the Latin American and Caribbean region must take to mitigate the worst of COVID-19.

We need a global solution for a global pandemic

Ricardo Lagos illustrates why Gordon Brown’s initiative—which sees a number of public figures and leaders from around the world being invited to tackle the crisis unleashed by coronavirus—is worth highlighting.

It will take all of us: never too young to lead on the climate crisis

On Earth Day 2020, Mary Robinson launched this series of intergenerational blogs. In her special Earth Day message, Mary Robinson outlined the need for us to respond to the global challenges we face in solidarity.

Migrants' rights and health must be protected in the face of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is a test of our common humanity. It has revealed our shared vulnerabilities, and only a coordinated response based on justice, solidarity and humanitarian principles can help us overcome it.

The COVID-19 pandemic is widening the justice gap

Justice systems are vital to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigating its worst effects. A new briefing by the Taskforce on Justice, co-chaired by Hina Jilani calls for urgent action to ensure justice for all. Read her foreword:

COVID-19: a joint call to the G20 for coordination on health and the economy

The Elders have joined global leaders to call on the G20 to undertake immediate and coordinated health and economic measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 shines a light on our common humanity and shared vulnerabilities

Only by asserting the common bonds of our humanity can we overcome this pandemic

Skoll Foundation presents 2020 Global Treasure Award to The Elders

Today, The Skoll Foundation honoured The Elders with its Global Treasure Award.

The Elders promote the WHO Safe Hands Challenge

This week three of the Elders took part in the World Health Organization's online challenge to raise awareness of good hand-washing practice during this COVID-19 pandemic

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