HONORARY CO-CHAIRS
Ban Ki-Moon – Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, President & Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute, and Deputy Chair of the Elders
Ban Ki-moon was the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. His priorities have been to mobilize world leaders around a set of new global challenges, from climate change and economic upheaval to pandemics and increasing pressures involving food, energy and water. He has sought to be a bridge-builder, to give voice to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and to strengthen the Organization itself. Following his second term as UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon joined The Elders as Deputy Chair. He is also the President and Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).
Gro Harlem Brundtland – Member, The Elders, Co-Chair, Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, former Prime Minister of Norway, former Director-General of the World Health Organization, and former Chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development
Gro Harlem Brundtland is a Norwegian politician, who served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway and as Director-General of the World Health Organization. She is a medical doctor who champions health as a human right and put sustainable development on the international agenda. She has been a member of the Elders since its founding in 2007, bringing to the group her decades of experience as a global leader in public health and sustainable development. Prime Minister Brundtland was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability and serves on the board of the United Nations Foundation.
Dr. Madeleine K. Albright – Former U.S. Secretary of State and Former Co-Chair of the Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance
Madeleine K. Albright is a professor, author, diplomat and businesswoman who served as the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. In 1997, she was named the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and was a member of the President’s Cabinet. She is a Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Dr. Albright is Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and Chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. She also chairs the National Democratic Institute, serves as the president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation and is a member of the U.S. Defense Department’s Defense Policy Board. In 2012, she was chosen by President Obama to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in recognition of her contributions to international peace and democracy.
Dr. Albright is a seven-time New York Times bestselling author. Her most recent book, Hell and Other Destinations was published in April 2020. Her other books include: her autobiography, Madam Secretary: A Memoir (2003); The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs (2006); Memo to the President: How We Can Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership (2008); Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box (2009); Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 (2012), and Fascism: A Warning (2018).
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Professor Ibrahim A. Gambari – Former Nigerian Foreign Minister and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and former Co-Chair of the Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance
Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari served his country as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations. He was also Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and worked closely with regional leaders, institutions, and governments. Ambassador Gambari was Under-Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs. In that period, he also operated as UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Cyprus, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar. Ambassador Gambari is currently the Founder/Chairman of Savannah Center in Abuja, Nigeria, a think-tank for research, training, and public policy debate on the nexus between diplomacy (conflict resolution), democracy and development in Africa. His last assignment at the UN was as the Joint Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Chairperson of the African Union Commission/Head of the UN and AU Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), at the time the world’s largest international peacekeeping mission.
Aya Chebbi – African Union Envoy on Youth
Aya Chebbi is an award-winning Pan-African feminist. She is the first African Union Youth Envoy and the youngest diplomat at the African Union Commission Chairperson’s Cabinet. She is the founder of multiple platforms such as Youth Programme of Holistic Empowerment Mentoring (YPHEM) coaching the next generation to be positive change agents, Afrika Youth Movement (AYM), one of Africa’s largest Pan-African youth-led movements and Afresist, a youth leadership program and multimedia platform documenting youth work in Africa. She served on the Board of Directors of CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the World Refugee Council and Oxfam Independent Commission on Sexual Misconduct. Chebbi became a world-renowned blogger during 2010/2011 Tunisia’s Revolution running Proudly Tunisian.
Mary Robinson – First woman President of Ireland; Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Chair of The Elders
Mary Robinson was the first woman President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Chair of The Elders; a passionate, forceful advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building, and human dignity. As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), she integrated human rights into the United Nations system and became renowned as an outspoken voice dedicated to investigating and exposing human rights abuses across the world. As an academic, legislator and barrister, Mary Robinson has always sought to use law as an instrument for social change, arguing landmark cases before the European Court of Human Rights as well as in the Irish courts and the European Court in Luxembourg. She heads the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, a center for education and advocacy on sustainable and people-centered development in the world’s poorest communities.
Juan Manuel Santos – Nobel Peace Laureate and Former Colombian President ; Member of The Elders
Juan Manuel Santos was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 for his role in leading complex peace negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which put an end to over 50 years of intractable civil war. Santos is an outspoken advocate for the protection of biodiversity. During his presidency, he significantly expanded protected areas in Colombia and strengthened the Ministry of the Environment. In 2017, Santos was awarded the Kew International Medal for his efforts to conserve Colombia’s natural environment. He is a member of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who work together for peace, justice, and human rights.
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The UN75 Global Governance Forum seeks to promote a more inclusive and effective United Nations through dialogue and recommendations that better harness the ideas, capabilities, and networks of both state and non-state actors for achieving the UN’s commitment to peace, sustainable development, human rights, and a stable climate.