The Elders

Just back from an amazing evening at the Barbican Centre. We had tickets to see some of The Elders as part of the Intelligence Squared series.

Chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Elders is an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. They were brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela, who is not an active member of the group but remains an Honorary Elder. The Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is also an Honorary Elder.

Tonight we were able to see President Jimmy Carter (Former President of the United States, Nobel Peace Laureate), Mary Robinson (First female President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Nobel Peace Laureate) with Richard Branson and Peter Gabriel and chaired by Jon Snow.

It was such a thought provoking evening which touched on so many global issues and how this group are trying to effect change. They are primarily focused on promoting human rights, humanity and peace. Jon Snow did a great job of both stimulating debate and taking a wide range of questions from the audience. He summed up with the key theme the Elders wanted us to take away - we can all make a difference and need to make ourselves count.


The Elders Debate, The Barbican Centre, London