Tenth anniversary of The Elders

The Elders

Ten years ago this week Nelson Mandela founded The Elders and the group began working for peace, justice and human rights for all. The Elders are marking their tenth anniversary with a global year-long campaign #WalkTogether “to continue Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom, by building global empathy and supporting civil society on issues of peace, health, justice and equality”. The campaign will run for twelve months from 18 July 2017 – the tenth anniversary of the group’s founding – to 18 July 2018, the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth.

Current priority issues include Universal health care, Refugees and Migration, Strong UN, Climate Change and Equality for Women and Girls.

Mandela launched ‘The Elders’ on 18 July 2007, his 89th birthday. Convening the group of independent global leaders, he mandated them to speak truth to power, raise the voices of the voiceless and offer hope where there is despair. The Elders comprise elder statesmen, peace activists, and human rights advocates, who describe themselves as "independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights". The goal Mandela set for the Elders was to use their "almost 1,000 years of collective experience" to work on solutions for seemingly insurmountable problems such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, and poverty, as well as to "use their political independence to help resolve some of the world's most intractable conflicts”.

Today’s elders include Kofi Annan (Chair), former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Gro Harlem Brundtland (Deputy Chair), former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the World Health Organization; Graça Machel, former Education Minister of Mozambique, President of the Foundation for Community Development, widow of Samora Machel and widow of Nelson Mandela; Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Ban Ki-moon. former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Elders emeritus include Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, and Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States. Both are Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Links: www.theelders.org/

Short videos at: www.theelders.org/article/walktogether-campaign-launch-livestream www.theelders.org/elders-10

https://twitter.com/TheElders