he Elders’ first mission was to Sudan in October. A delegation led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu went to address the immense human suffering in Darfur. The group included Lakhdar Brahimi, Jimmy Carter, and Graça Machel.
The Elders was founded by Nelson Mandela and his wife Graça Machel in July, a humanitarian initiative bringing together an august group of people to contribute their wisdom, independent leadership and integrity to solving problems in the world.
Independent of any government or international organisation, the Elders can consult widely – including, in the case of Darfur, with leaders from the United Nations and the African Union – and have lent their support to the United Nations Security Council Resolution authorising a joint peacekeeping force in the region.
Global technology is fostering unprecedented creativity, but there is also a sense of chaos, insoluble problems and fear for the future. Elder statesmen with a global perspective are rare.
The first ten Elders each have a track record of wisdom on the world stage, have demonstrated foresight and together have a formidable wealth of experience behind them.Their power as a group is not vested in economic or political interests but in the future well being of the world community.
The first Elders are Nelson Mandela – former President of South Africa; Graça Machel – Women and Children’s Rights Activist, President of the Foundation for Community Development, Mozambique; Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Chair); Kofi Annan – former Secretary-General of the UN; Ela Bhatt – Women’s Rights Activist, Founder of SEWA, the Self-Employed Women’s Association, India; Lakhdar Brahimi – former UN Envoy and conflict resolution specialist; Gro Harlem Brundtland – former Prime Minister of Norway, former Director General of the World Health Organisation; Fernando Henrique Cardoso – former President of Brazil; Jimmy Carter – former President of the United States; Li Zhaoxing – former Foreign Minister, China; Mary Robinson – former President of Ireland; Muhammad Yunus – micro-credit pioneer, Founder, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh.
Their stated purpose is to alleviate human suffering by helping bring peaceful resolutions to relevant conflicts; seeking new approaches to global issues; sharing wisdom and reaching out to grassroots leadership and the next generation of leaders.
The Elders had its genesis in a proposal put to Nelson Mandela in 2001 by musician Peter Gabriel and British entrepreneur Richard Bran-son that the so-called global village needed guidance and help from wise and independent leaders to solve its seemingly intractable problems.
At its inauguration on his 89th birthday, Mr Mandela said the members of the group are not elders because of their age, but because of their individual and collective wisdom.
“This group derives its strength not from political, economic or military power, but from the independence and integrity of those who are here,” he said. “They do not have careers to build, elections to win, constituencies to please. They can talk to anyone they please, and are free to follow paths they deem right, even if hugely unpopular.”
In order to ensure that the Elders are fully financed,a group called The Founders and Partners have pledged to provide them with the resources they need to carry on their work, whose independence is, however, jealously guarded.
The Founders to date include Richard Branson and Virgin Unite; Bridgeway Foundation (USbased); Michael and Ray Chambers; Peter Gabriel; Humanity United; Amy Robbins; Shashi Ruia; Dick Tarlow; the United Nations Foundation.
While working independently, The Elders will not duplicate or compete with the efforts of other organisations and they will seek opportunities to partner established groups.