The Global Elders or The Elders is a group of public figures noted as statemen, peace activists, and human rights advocates. The goal of the group is to solve global problems, using "almost 1,000 years of collective experience to dream up solutions for seemingly insurmountable problems like climate change, HIV/AIDS, and poverty" and "use their political independence to help resolve some of the world's most intractable conflicts." [1] Public figure is a legal term applied in the context of defamation actions (libel and slander). ... Statesman is a respectful term used to refer to politicians, and other notable figures of state. ... A peace activist is a political activist who strives for peace, and against war. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Global mean surface temperatures 1850 to 2006 Mean surface temperature anomalies during the period 1995 to 2004 with respect to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980 Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earths atmosphere and oceans in recent decades and the projected... Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows what he found. ... For other uses, see Conflict (disambiguation). ...

The group is sponsored by Sir Richard Branson, who came up with the idea for the group with musician and human rights activist Peter Gabriel and helped raise $18 million for the group over the last three years. The anti-apartheid activist and former South African president Nelson Mandela announced the formation of the on his 89th birthday on July 18, 2007, in Johannesburg, South Africa. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Peter Brian Gabriel (born February 13, 1950, in Chobham, Surrey, England) is an English musician. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... The President of South Africa, in full, the President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africas Constitution. ... Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (IPA: ) (born 18 July 1918) is the former President of South Africa, and the first to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The group of Elders present at the announcemet were Mandela; Mozambican activist Graça Machel, Mandela's wife; former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan; former Irish President Mary Robinson; Nobel Peace Prize winners Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Grameen Bank founder and microcredit pioneer Muhammad Yunus, and former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. At the launch a chair was left empty on the stage to signify Aung San Suu Kyi, the human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who is a political prisoner in Burma. Other members who were not present at the launch were the Indian trade union leader and SEWA founder Ela Bhatt, and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. Motto none Anthem Pátria Amada (formerly Viva, Viva a FRELIMO) Capital (and largest city) Maputo Official languages Portuguese Government Republic  -  President Armando Guebuza  -  Prime Minister Luísa Diogo Independence  -  from Portugal June 25, 1975  Area  -  Total 801,590 km² (35th) 309,496 sq mi   -  Water (%) 2. ... Graça Machel in 1984, with then husband President Samora Machel of Mozambique and P W Botha and Pik Botha of South Africa at the signing of the Nkomati Accord. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1997 to January 1, 2007, serving two five-year terms. ... -1... Mary Robinson (Irish name Máire Mhic Róibín; born 21 May 1944) was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize Image:Nobel-medal. ... Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... The Grameen Bank (Bangla: গ্রামীণ ব্যাংক) is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans (known as microcredit) to the impoverished without requiring collateral. ... Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty who are not considered bankable. ... Dr. Muhammad Yunus (Bengali: , pronounced ) (born June 28, 1940) is a Muslim Bangladeshi banker and economist. ... The Foreign Minister of the Peoples Republic of China is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peoples Republic of China and one of the countrys most important cabinet posts. ... Li Zhaoxing (born October 1940) is the foreign minister of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Aung San Suu Kyi (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ; IPA: ); born 19 June 1945 in Yangon (Rangoon), is a nonviolent pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma), and a noted prisoner of conscience. ... A political prisoner is someone held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, because their ideas or image are deemed by a government to either challenge or threaten the authority of the state. ... A trade union or labour union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... SEWA is the Self-Employed Womens Association of India, a trade union founded in 1972 after a split in the Textile Labour Association. ... Ela Bhatt is the founder of the Self-Employed Womens Association (SEWA) and served as the General Secretary of SEWA from 1972-1996. ... This is a list of viceroys (visekonge), governors (rigsstatholder), first ministers (førstestatsrÃ¥d) and prime ministers (statsminister) of Norway. ... Gro Harlem Brundtland [IPA: gro hÉ‘É­É›m brʉntlÉ‘nd] (born April 20, 1939) is a Norwegian politician, diplomat, and physician, and an international leader in sustainable development and public health. ...

References

• [2]

External Links

• The Elders' Official Website