David Nussbaum

Chief Executive of The Elders

Dear Friends

We have just concluded a successful board meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where we spent several days reflecting on recent activities and enjoyed fruitful and intensive discussions on our priorities for the coming months.

We were also able to hold substantive discussions with the energetic new Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, and had a warm conversation with President Sahle-Work Zewde. We were pleased to meet these leaders at a time of profound change for the country and to learn more about their vision for the future.

These discussions did not shy away from the political, social and economic challenges facing the country, and the Elders discussed the reportedly large numbers of internally displaced people, arising from internal tensions which are a critical risk to Ethiopia’s national stability.

The issue of forced displacement also took centre stage at a successful public event we held at the UN Economic Commission for Africa. Speakers included Ethiopia’s new Minister for Peace, Muferiat Kamil, and a local representative from the Danish Refugee Council, Tsionawit Gebre-Yohannes, who as a child had been a refugee herself.

Prior to speaking at the event, the Elders saw for themselves the plight of refugees from South Sudan living in a camp in the western Gambela region of Ethiopia. All of us on that trip were humbled by the refugees’ dignity and resilience in the face of terrible hardship.

At the same time, a separate delegation of Elders met Ethiopia’s State Minister for Health, to learn more about the country’s progress towards Universal Health Coverage. They also visited a health centre in Addis and met community health workers who help ensure that poor and vulnerable groups, including women and children, get the healthcare they need without suffering financial hardship.

We were pleased to be joined in Addis by two new Elders, Juan Manuel Santos and Zeid Raad Al Hussein, for their first board meeting. We look forward to continued work with them and the third new Elder, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, across a wide range of activities in the months ahead.

David Nussbaum

Spark of Hope in focus

Last Mile Health

Last Mile Health believes that no one should be denied access to healthcare because of poverty or distance. They train community members to become community health workers.

The Elders' board meeting in Addis Ababa

Political reforms, refugees and health form main focus of Elders’ board meeting

Read more about the Elders visit to Ethiopia

From The Elders

News & Insight

Deon Shekuza a Youth Agent for Sustainable Development

To achieve the SDGs, leaders must deliver Access to Justice For All

The Elders welcome Ethiopia’s commitment to primary health care

The Elders reaffirm support for Colombia’s peace process

Get Involved

Join the conversation

Our Deputy Chair Graça Machel has been re-appointed as a High Level Sustainable Development Goals Advocate by the United Nations. She joins 16 other public figures committed to raising awareness on the Global Goals.

We welcome the recommendations of the UK’s Climate Change Committee and urge @theresa_may to commit the UK to go carbon neutral by 2050. Such leadership will put pressure on other nations to take the urgent #climateaction we need.

Graça Machel and fellow Elder Ricardo Lagos visited a health centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this week. They welcomed Ethiopia’s commitment to primary health care as the most effective way to achieve #HealthForAll. Read about their visit - link in bio.