My message to men

Desmond Tutu calls on men and boys to value the women in their community and to treat them with respect.

Poverty will never be removed without the participation of women

Ela Bhatt argues that the work of women must be recognised, recorded and enhanced if poverty is ever to be tackled effectively.

Women refuse to be victims of conflict; they are actors for change

Graça Machel and Mary Robinson state that though women are brutalised in conflict, they are not victims; they are actors for change.

Religious and traditional practices discriminate against women and girls

The Elders call on men and boys, particularly religious and traditional leaders, to change harmful and discriminatory practices against women and girls and join the struggle to promote and protect gender equality.