Home
Programmes
Strengthening the United Nations
Access to Justice
Climate change
Conflict countries and regions
Refugees and migration
Universal Health Coverage

Strengthening the United Nations

The Elders believe strongly that the United Nations is a necessary and core part of the global governance system.

Latest Content

Statement
The Elders welcome US re-engagement on climate, WHO; call for renewed commitment on nuclear threat
21 Jan 2021
The Elders today welcomed the decisions by newly-inaugurated US President Joe Biden to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change and cease the process of withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
Opinion
A global fossil fuel registry is key to governments taking urgent climate action
19 Jan 2021
Ricardo Lagos calls for greater transparency and accountability from governments to deliver a coordinated, international approach to reducing fossil fuel production. Published in El Pais.
Opinion
Lakhdar Brahimi: “A return to the world order before Donald Trump is neither possible nor desirable”
08 Jan 2021
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.
Statement
The Elders hope for a sea-change in US engagement on global challenges
09 Nov 2020
The Elders congratulate US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their election victory.
More on Strengthening the UN

View

Our Work

The Elders launched a specific initiative on “Strengthening the UN” at the Munich Security Conference in 2015. They proposed four reforms to the UN’s peace and security architecture that would enhance the organisation’s legitimacy and efficacy: a new category of membership for the UN Security Council; a pledge from Permanent Members not to use their veto to prevent action against mass atrocities; a greater voice for civil society; and a more independent Secretary-General.

Following the election of António Guterres as Secretary-General in October 2016, The Elders have focused their efforts on veto restraint. They have raised the issue at meetings with Security Council members in New York and have worked to amplify the voices of civil society and victims of conflict.

The Elders also strongly support the UN’s 2030 Agenda on development and its efforts to introduce new Global Compacts on refugees and migration.

Our call for veto restraint

In May 2016, The Elders joined civil society to call on members of the Security Council to exercise veto restraint to prevent mass atrocities.

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.

Close

I would like to find:

Search
Close