United World Leaders is an independent institution of former Presidents and Prime Ministers, working with leaders of diplomacy, enterprise and civil society to prevent conflict, mobilise investment and prepare the next generation to lead.
When a President leaves office, a lifetime of judgement usually leaves public service with them.
The relationships, the trust between capitals, the knowledge of how crises begin and how they end: these are among the rarest resources in the world, and among the most wasted. United World Leaders exists so that they are not.
It brings together former Presidents and Prime Ministers, ministers, ambassadors and senior officials, and leaders of enterprise, finance, philanthropy, science and civil society, on neutral institutional ground that belongs to no government. There they do three things: open channels before disputes become conflicts; connect nations with the investment and partnerships that create prosperity; and prepare the leaders who will follow them.
The Institution measures itself not by meetings held, but by what its relationships make possible: initiatives launched, collaborations created, lives improved.
Independent, nonpartisan channels where leaders can meet, build trust and engage before tensions become crises, complementing governments and the United Nations, never replacing them.
The Peace InitiativeConnecting governments and communities with foreign direct investment, capital and expertise, so that cooperation has a practical foundation: shared prosperity.
Economic CouncilsYoung United World Leaders gives the next generation counsel from those who have governed, projects of their own, and a recorded voice in the Young World Parliament.
Young UWLMembers of the Boards of United World Leaders, as of October 2026.
Former Presidents and Prime Ministers, led by the Chairman and the Executive Committee.
Provides the strategic direction of the Institution and represents it globally.
Dr. Steven V. MelnikChairman
Ameenah Gurib-FakimFormer President of Mauritius
Igor LukšićFormer Prime Minister of Montenegro
Ivo JosipovićFormer President of Croatia
President of Colombia, 1998–2002
Launched Plan Colombia with U.S. President Bill Clinton; previously Mayor of Bogotá.
President of Malawi, 2012–2014
First woman to serve as President of Malawi; founded the Joyce Banda Foundation.
Prime Minister of Belgium, 2008, 2009–2011
Later Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD and Secretary-General of International IDEA.
President of Mauritius, 2015–2018
Executive CommitteeFirst woman elected President of Mauritius; biodiversity scientist and organic chemist.
President of Mexico, 2000–2006
First president from outside the PRI since 1929; formerly president of Coca-Cola Mexico.
President of Senegal, 2012–2024
Chairperson of the African Union (2022–2023); previously Prime Minister of Senegal.
President of Bulgaria, 2012–2017
Engineer and builder; previously Minister of Regional Development and Public Works (2009–2011).
President of the Dominican Republic, 1996–2000, 2004–2012
Founded the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE) in 2000.
The countries members of the Boards have led as President or Prime Minister. Select a country to see who.
Leaders do not only take part in United World Leaders. They create through it.
Leaders across government, enterprise and civil society meet on neutral ground, in public forums and private strategic dialogues.
A member proposes a Council or Initiative on an issue where they can contribute most, and leads it as Chair.
The Institution supports, expands and amplifies the work: partners, expertise, visibility and the next generation.
Success is counted in initiatives launched, collaborations created and lives improved, and reported as such.
25 standing bodies, each with its own mandate and its own seal, drawn from its name.
Model legislation for artificial intelligence in government.
The CouncilChaired by H.E. Ambassador Dr. Vladimir BožovićConnecting consular leadership globally.
The CouncilChaired by Keara SauberWomen’s health as a global priority.
The CouncilThose who have governed, with those who will.
No other institution of former Heads of State sits beside a standing deliberative body of young people. In the Young World Parliament, young Delegates table Motions, vote in recorded Divisions and transmit their Resolutions to the Councils of United World Leaders.
Appointments, members and initiatives, as announced by the Institution.
H.E.
Read the releaseMassachusetts State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven, a former antitrust economist, is appointed to chair the newly established Council, which will develop model legislation for AI in government, build a case library and convene a peer network of government leaders..
Read the releaseKeara Sauber, Chief Executive of Incora Health and a life-sciences executive of more than twenty years, is appointed to chair the Women’s Healthcare Council, which will elevate women’s health as a global priority and align capital with scalable solutions..
Read the releaseUnited World Leaders is fully independent and autonomous. It is not affiliated with nor governed by any single institution or government.
An independent, politically neutral global leadership institution established to advance peace, stability and socioeconomic prosperity through pre-emptive diplomacy, strategic cooperation and execution-driven global initiatives.
To convene the world’s most influential leaders across government, business, finance and civil society, and to translate dialogue into action by facilitating diplomacy, investment and partnerships that generate measurable and lasting impact.
Leadership without integrity cannot create lasting impact.
Bring your experience to work that outlasts office.
Applications are reviewed by the New Membership Committee, which makes its recommendations to the Executive Committee.