The Elders

If you haven't already, you can watch the latest full moon video for 'Won't Stand Down' over on YouTube here: youtube.com/watch?v=TWpVZU… “I had originally thought about trying to create some music for TheElders.org who are an extraordinary group of people. Their currency is not based on military power, economic power or political power, but just the moral authority they have from having lived extraordinary, selfless lives. That's something which I wanted to talk about, write about and encourage, because it's pretty dark out there in lots of places and I think we need people who can just nudge both us and our leaders and keep alive some basic values of justice, compassion and democracy – a hope that can help us start envisioning a just, peaceful and fairer world." - pg

The next appointed UN Secretary-General could define the UN’s role in a rapidly changing world. In our latest newsletter, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein sets out why this decision matters more than ever. Read & subscribe ⬇️

Hospitals, healthcare workers and patients are not military targets. A world that fails to protect them is one that is abandoning the most basic principles of humanity and international law. On the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 2286 on the protection of healthcare in conflict, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein calls for collective action and accountability to safeguard the right to health in wartime. Read his comment in full: “Nearly 2,000 health workers and patients were killed in deliberate attacks last year. That is more than twice the death toll the previous year, and one of the highest on record. In the recent hostilities in the Middle East, healthcare has been attacked every six hours. From Gaza to Sudan to Ukraine, the health and humanitarian workers who rush towards danger to save lives are being treated as fair targets. In addition to claiming innocent lives, every attack further deters patients from seeking care at the very places built to protect them, fuelling disease outbreaks in already-vulnerable communities. Ten years after the UN Security Council demanded accountability for attacks on medical facilities and personnel, those violations have increased exponentially and are now in danger of becoming a new normal. Yet those with the power to act have remained largely silent. Instead, they must come together as political champions for the enforcement of international humanitarian law, to safeguard the right to health in conflict as sacrosanct. I helped establish the International Criminal Court because I believe that humanity's worst crimes must carry consequences. The protection of hospitals and medical personnel in wartime is one of humanity’s most enduring moral and legal commitments. Today, that principle is being shredded – deliberately, systematically, and without accountability. Impunity is a choice. So is ending it.” @ipinst

The Elders work for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. Last year, from Egypt to Japan, Morocco to Brazil, they sought to learn from history to pave the way towards a better future. Download the 2025 Annual Review below 🔗

The transition away from fossil fuels is at a pivotal moment. As the Santa Marta conference on fossil fuels concluded on Wednesday, Mary Robinson and @JuanManSantos urged countries to go further and faster on a just transition to renewable energy.

✉️NEWSLETTER | The choice of the next Secretary-General could decide the UN’s fate. In our latest newsletter, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein unpacks what’s at stake in the UN’s search for its next Secretary-General. Read & subscribe: theelders.org/news/next-secr…

"When we planned Santa Marta, we didn’t know we’d be in the worst crisis of oil and gas. The timing is important. Now is the time to change the [fossil fuel] mindset." Mary Robinson talks to @AFP on the Santa Marta conference and the energy transition ⬇️ france24.com/en/live-news/2…

Ending violent conflict goes hand in hand with solving the climate crisis. At the launch of a new report from the @planetarygdns this week in Santa Marta, @JuanManSantos and Mary Robinson urged leaders to move away from fossil fuels, instead of turning to subsidies to offset rising prices. Read the full report below🔗

"If we want peace in the world, we must weaken or do away with a dependency on fossil fuels." 🕊️ Former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner @JuanManSantos of @TheElders explains why global stability depends on transitioning to renewable energy. Watch more from Santa Marta:

The system built to protect humanity from nuclear weapons is under growing strain. Amid rising conflict and a new nuclear arms race, the NPT Review Conference is a moment for leaders to show commitment and responsibility to contain nuclear risks.

At the Santa Marta Conference – where governments are exploring pathways to transition away from fossil fuels – Mary Robinson met feminist advocates and frontline activists. Their message: those living the climate crisis must be at the centre of solutions.

Major powers are undermining the consensus against nuclear weapons. Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), nuclear states pledged to pursue nuclear disarmament. Instead, they’ve allowed nuclear diplomacy to collapse, spent record sums modernising arsenals and pursued military actions that are igniting a new nuclear arms race. As the NPT Review Conference begins in New York, nuclear states must prove they are serious about reducing risks and rebuilding the rules-based system of nuclear arms control that protects humanity. #NPTRevCon #NuclearDisarmament

“We’re not talking about whether we get out of fossil fuels, it’s how.” Ahead of the Santa Marta Fossil Fuels conference, Mary Robinson spoke alongside Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate on the Outrage + Optimism podcast about the urgent need to move towards renewables. Listen to the full episode ⬇️

As we mark Freedom Day, we honour the significance of 1994, the sacrifices made, and the hard-won right to live in a democratic South Africa, 32 years into our democracy. We also know that there is no freedom without dignity, and that it must be felt in people’s everyday lives. Madiba’s words call on us to continue the work of building a society where both freedom and dignity are a reality for all. #FreedomDay #FreedomMonth #NelsonMandela #FreedomDay2026

Como Presidente de @TheElders, en el #SkollWF, reflexioné sobre por qué sigo creyendo que todo conflicto tiene solución, si los líderes tienen el coraje de buscarla. A diez años del acuerdo de paz en Colombia sigo convencido de que la paz, en cualquier parte del mundo, siempre es posible.