Engaged in a number of missions, a group of well-known global leaders called The Elders, comprised of Nelson Mandela, its originator, and Martti Ahtisaari, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Gro Brundtland, Fernando H. Cardoso, Jimmy Carter, Graca Machel, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu, has made equality for womankind one of their priorities. They appeal for “an end to the use of religious and traditional practices to justify and entrench discrimination against women and girls.” The group is also assisting efforts to address the predicaments in Zimbabwe, Burma (Myanmar) and Cyprus. Their prestige, renown and moral standing allow them to be particularly influential in advancing the initiatives they tackle. As Lakhdar Brahimi so aptly puts it: “We’re extremely careful not to claim that we’re going to take a problem and solve it. What we’re saying is that from time to time, in certain situations, a problem needs a little push.”
Read more about The Elders and their initiatives.