The Elders
The group The Elders (engl., Dt. The elders ), and Global Elders ( the worlds oldest ) is a coalition of prominent former statesmen and women, peace activists, human rights activists and prominent intellectuals. The aim of the group is to use the experience, relationships and public influence of its members to solve global problems. The establishment was announced on July 18, 2007 by Nelson Mandela together with his wife Graça Machel and Desmond Tutu .
Members
The members are mostly respected personalities who, however, no longer hold public offices. The resulting political independence and the ability to speak “freely and courageously” are essential characteristics of the Elders.
Active members
- Gro Harlem Brundtland * , Former Prime Minister of Norway and President of the World Health Organization (Vice-Chair)
- Martti Ahtisaari , former President of Finland , 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate , since September 21, 2009
- Lakhdar Brahimi * , former Algerian diplomat and UN special envoy to Iraq , special envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria
- Hina Jilani , human rights activist from Pakistan
- Graça Machel * , human rights activist, First Lady of Mozambique (1975–1986) and South Africa (1998–1999)
- Mary Robinson * , former President of Ireland
- Ernesto Zedillo , former President of Mexico
- Ricardo Lagos , former President of Chile
- Ban Ki-moon , former United Nations Secretary-General
Honorary members
- Desmond Tutu * , Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, chairman of the Elders from 2007 to 2013
former members
- Nelson Mandela * , 1993 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of South Africa
- Kofi Annan * , former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
- Muhammad Yunus * , Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and founder of the Grameen Bank , until September 21, 2009
- Aung San Suu Kyi , 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
- Li Zhaoxing * , Chinese Foreign Minister 2002–2007
- Jimmy Carter * , 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
- Fernando Henrique Cardoso * , President of Brazil 1995–2002
- Ela Bhatt * , Indian women's rights activist and founder of SEWA, a kind of union for self-employed Indian women
During Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest in Burma , an empty chair was symbolically set up for them at meetings of the elders.
Taking over a government office requires leaving the group. The group has announced that it will invite other personalities to join in the future.
financing
The Elders are sponsored by a group of sponsors who have raised $ 18 million in donations to date. In addition to Nelson Mandela, the initiators were the musician Peter Gabriel and the British entrepreneur Richard Branson .
activities
As a first mission, the group sent a four-person delegation (Brahimi, Carter and Machel, chaired by Tutu) to Sudan on September 30, 2007 to prepare an independent report on the situation in the Darfur conflict .
Another trip to Zimbabwe (Machel, Carter and Annan) was canceled because no visas were issued for Carter and Annan. It was officially declared that these could not have been issued in time. However, Carter and Annan viewed this as a refusal to collaborate, as they had applied for visas weeks in advance.
Web links
- Official website (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ The Elders: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu announce The Elders ( memento September 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) July 18, 2007
- ↑ The Elders: Martti Ahtisaari joins The Elders ( memento of September 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) of September 21, 2009
- ^ The Elders: Muhammad Yunus steps down ( memento from September 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) from September 21, 2009
- ↑ In The Elders: Statement by Archbishop Tutu upon Elders' arrival in Sudan of September 30, 2009, Li Zhaoxing is mentioned
- ^ Former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing attended the launching of "the Global Elders", a new think tank initiative on globe issues. Embassy of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of South Africa, July 20, 2007, accessed August 9, 2012 .
- ↑ Jimmy Carter steps down from The Elders. Retrieved March 17, 2017 (English).
- ↑ Fernando Henrique Cardoso steps down from The Elders. Retrieved March 17, 2017 (English).