Carter Center experts offer unique and candid insights into their work and the issues that affect it.
I have three messages for journalists writing about mental health: Words matter. Images matter. You matter. Learn more 禄
I recently returned from a visit to the nation of Chad, the central point of our fight against Guinea worm disease. As you may know, The Carter Center has been working to eradicate this devasting parasitic disease since 1986, when cases around the world numbered almost 3.5 million a year. Learn more 禄
By Jason Carter, chair of the Carter Center Board of Trustees
I made my first visit to Zambia, where our goal was to learn more about the Carter Center鈥檚 ongoing democracy programming that helps women, youth, and persons with disabilities overcome barriers to getting involved in political affairs and to travel into the Zambian countryside, where the Center is piloting a project to help rural communities address the effects of climate change. Learn more 禄
By Olivia Starks, Carter Center communications intern
During each internship session at The Carter Center, the interns take a day trip to former President Jimmy Carter鈥檚 hometown of Plains, Georgia. This is a staple of the internship program, as the visit is discussed on the first day of orientation. We are told stories about the delicious peanut butter ice cream and the fun downtown shops that await us. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer of The Carter Center
The announcement in February that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the Carter Center鈥檚 co-founder, was entering hospice care touched my heart. It prompted reflections on how the Center has grown and evolved while remaining true to our founders鈥� original vision. Learn more 禄
By Eve Byrd, Director, Mental Health Program
It is human nature to want to be understood and accepted, so when people like Rosalynn Carter and her family share their experiences with dementia, they provide a comforting connection to the more than 55 million people worldwide who have dementia diagnoses. Learn more 禄
Written by Jennifer Roberts, North Carolina Democracy Resilience Network
Many thanks to the League of Women Voters of North Carolina for recognizing the work of the bipartisan N.C. Trusted Elections Tour, organized by myself and Bob Orr and funded by The Carter Center. Our close partnership with the League of Women Voters in this endeavor guaranteed its success and helped pave the way for safe, secure, and peaceful elections in our state in 2022. Learn more 禄
By Makoy Samuel Yibi, Director, Guinea Worm Eradication Program, South Sudan Ministry of Health
Makoy Samuel Yibi first met former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1995, after which they formed a strong relationship. In 2008, Yibi received the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Guinea Worm Eradication for his leadership in reducing cases of the disease in what is now South Sudan. He wrote the following elegy for his mentor and hero. Learn more 禄
By Masa Janjusevic, Carter Center country representative, Myanmar
Myanmar is home to the world鈥檚 longest continuing civil war, spanning seven decades. The inevitable toll on mental health cannot be ignored, and recent events such as COVID-19 and economic decline have only intensified the unmet need for services. Learn more 禄
By Eve Byrd, Director, Mental Health Program
From the vantage point of a richly resourced and powerful country or society, it鈥檚 easy to believe that colonialism is a thing of the past. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The sad fact is that the effects of a colonial mind-set are alive and well in some corners of the global health community. Learn more 禄
Last week, logic and accuracy testing of tabulation or counting equipment took place in all 15 Arizona counties ahead of the court-mandated recount of races for attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, and state representative of Legislative District 13 in Maricopa County. Learn more 禄
By Michael Scholtens, data analyst, Democracy Program
The turmoil at Twitter following Elon Musk鈥檚 takeover has shaken the foundation of the global social media landscape.听As one of social media鈥檚 pillars veers toward possible collapse, some of its users and content are scattering across the internet. It鈥檚 too soon to say whether Twitter will be unseated as one of the giants of social media, but users are searching for alternatives at a higher rate than at any point since the platform鈥檚 founding.听听 Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer of The Carter Center
This fall has been an exciting time at The Carter Center. We celebrated the anniversary of our founding 40 years ago, President Carter celebrated his 98th birthday, and we dedicated a 200-year-old Japanese bell on our campus. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President, Health Programs, The Carter Center; Kelly Callahan, M.P.H., Director, Trachoma Control Program, The Carter Center; Dr. Emmanuel Miri, Nigeria Country Representative, The Carter Center; Dr. Zerihun Tadesse, Ethiopia Country Representative, The Carter Center
From the vantage point of a richly resourced and powerful country or society, it鈥檚 easy to believe that colonialism is a thing of the past. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The sad fact is that the effects of a colonial mind-set are alive and well in some corners of the global health community. Learn more 禄
By Gregory S. Noland, director, River Blindness Elimination Program, and Dr. Kashef Ijaz, vice president, health programs, The Carter Center
World Sight Day is the second Thursday in October, and we at The Carter Center and our country offices are doing our part to preserve vision in vulnerable populations through our robust river blindness and trachoma programs. Learn more 禄
By Adam Weiss, Director, Guinea Worm Eradication Program
Some of the hallmarks of the four-decade Guinea worm eradication campaign, led by The Carter Center, are its agility, data-driven decision making, deep-rooted partnerships, and commitment to prioritize the needs of the endemic countries. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer of The Carter Center
On September, 18, The Carter Center was honored to host one of Atlanta鈥檚 Equitable Dinners, a public event designed to inspire anti-racist action through art and courageous conversations. Events across the city brought together 5,000 guests of all backgrounds to sit at 500 tables to discuss racial equity. Learn more 禄
By Kelly Callahan, director, Trachoma Control Program
Public health work is always challenging, but some seasons are more challenging than others. And wow, have the last three years been challenging 鈥� especially in the part of Ethiopia where the Carter Center鈥檚 Trachoma Control Program works. Learn more 禄
By Nicole Kruse, Interim Vice President of Development
A family reunion of sorts took place last month in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was the annual Carter Center Weekend, when a limited number of friends and supporters gather to catch up with each other, hear from Center leadership and staff, and take part in various fun activities, including silent and live auctions. Learn more 禄
By Jason Carter, chair of the Carter Center Board of Trustees
Jason Carter met with Col. Assimi Go茂ta to discuss actions taken toward the Mali Peace Agreement created in 2015 and eradication efforts of Guinea worm disease. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer of The Carter Center
We at The Carter Center are horrified by the devastation in Ukraine. As we have helped other nations to rebuild after wars, we will continue waging peace. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer of The Carter Center
This month, I was pleased to sign the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases, signifying the Carter Center鈥檚 100% commitment to work with dozens of countries, donors, and organizational partners to tackle these terrible diseases Learn more 禄
Analysis by Hari Prasad, Program Associate, Conflict Resolution Program
Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has had obvious effects on Ukraine and Eastern Europe, but its current and potential destabilizing effects in Syria are not receiving the attention they desperately need. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, Chief Executive Officer, The Carter Center, and Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health Programs, The Carter Center
We at The Carter Center are grieving the unexpected passing of our friend and colleague, Dr. Stephen B. Blount, who had only recently retired after a remarkable career in global public health. Learn more 禄
By Eve H. Byrd, Director, Carter Center Mental Health Program
During the 2022 state legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly voted unanimously to pass the Mental Health Parity Act, ensuring that the state will enforce parity in insurance coverage for behavioral health care for the first time. Learn more 禄
By Hampton Stall, Senior Program Associate, The Carter Center
After the Mozambique civil war ended in 1992, demining experts needed 23 years to clear the 86,000 unexploded weapons left behind. A just-released Carter Center report suggests that there could be more than three times that amount of unexploded ordnance in Syria, where demining efforts have yet to begin. Learn more 禄
By Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health, The Carter Center
There is nothing mysterious about tuberculosis (TB). It has been studied for a long time. We know who the vulnerable populations are, where it is prevalent, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. What is mysterious is the lack of top-tier attention and funding it gets.
Learn more 禄
By Sarah E. Morris, head of instruction and engagement at the Emory University Libraries
The war in Ukraine is a terrible situation that is keeping many of us glued to our devices, looking for updates and ways to help Ukraine. Unfortunately, large amounts of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda are swirling around, creating confusion and disruption. Learn more 禄
The 33rd meeting, held March 14-15, 2022, at The Carter Center, focused on one of the leading causes of death by an infectious disease globally, yet paradoxically does not receive adequate attention: tuberculosis (TB). The ITFDE focus on TB was particularly timely as March 24 is World TB Day, whose theme this year 鈥� Invest to End TB, Save Lives 鈥� captures the urgency of the moment. Learn more 禄
Russia has long treated Ukraine as a proving ground for testing its novel and destructive cyberweapons. In 2015, Russia launched a cyberattack on the power grid in Ukraine, plunging 230,000 civilians into darkness and cutting off power to homes, hospitals, and schools in the dead of winter. Repairs took months to complete. Two years later, Russia launched another attack that crippled government, financial, and energy institutions, shut down nuclear safety monitoring systems, and permanently erased public and private data. The attack spilled over Ukraine鈥檚 borders, disrupting private-sector entities such as Maersk, FedEx, and Merck and costing an estimated $10 billion. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, vice president, Health Programs,
Haiti is frequently in the news for all the wrong reasons: devastating earthquakes, extreme poverty, rampant violent crime, political turmoil. The Carter Center is determined to bring Haiti hope in at least one way, in the area of public health. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, vice president, Health Programs, and听Gregory Noland, director, Carter Center River Blindness Elimination Program
The elimination of river blindness in Nigeria鈥檚 Plateau and Nasarawa states, as confirmed by a recent analysis, shows the value of partnership and persistence in the fight against neglected tropical diseases. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer of The Carter Center
President Carter frequently reminds us of his high school teacher鈥檚 words of wisdom: 鈥淲e must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.鈥� At The Carter Center, we practice this precept by holding fast to our founding commitments to defend human rights and relieve human suffering while continually seeking new and improved ways to accomplish our humanitarian goals. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, vice president, health programs
Only one human disease has ever been eradicated; that was smallpox, in 1980 鈥� a tremendous victory for humanity. The term "eradication" is defined as permanent reduction to zero of the worldwide occurrence of infection caused by a specific pathogen, with no risk of its return. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, vice president, health programs, and Eve H. Byrd, director, mental health program
Journalists and the field of journalism are often criticized, in part because they have a habit of telling us truths we don鈥檛 want to know or discussing topics we don鈥檛 want to think about. But good journalists provide a public service by telling us things we need or ought to know and by making us think. What they write or say can affect the way society looks at an issue and educate people about available resources. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer, and Kashef Ijaz, vice president, Health Programs
The 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly opens Tuesday, Sept. 14. It is a time of great anticipation as representatives of 193 member states come together in the great hall to discuss issues and set an agenda for the coming year. World political leaders, including President Joe Biden, will give speeches that will be closely watched for clues and outright declarations regarding a wide variety of international challenges, global health among them. Learn more 禄
This interview with President Carter was conducted in Spring 2020 and originally published in the Bush听China听Foundation鈥檚 2019/2020 Annual Report. Learn more 禄
By Susan Hunsinger, program associate, and Katie Conner, former senior program associate, mental health program
Rosalynn Carter is best known for her advocacy for mental health issues, caregiver issues, as co-founder of The Carter Center and founder of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. But there鈥檚 more to this "steel magnolia." Here are 24 facts about Rosalynn Carter. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz,听vice president, health programs
Completely wiping out a disease is nearly impossible. In all of history, only one human disease has been eradicated 鈥� smallpox, in 1980 after a herculean global vaccination campaign that took decades to complete. Polio persists (albeit in small numbers) despite the availability of a highly effective vaccine since the 1950s. Ditto measles. Learn more 禄
By听Dr. Kashef Ijaz, vice president, health programs, and Barbara J. Smith, vice president, peace programs
Back in the turbulent 1960s, there was a popular poster 鈥� today it would be a meme on social media 鈥� that said, "War is not healthy for children and other living things." Learn more 禄
The Nigeria Public Health Training Initiative recently transitioned from a Carter Center-assisted project to state-level ownership in each of the six implementing states, including Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Imo, Ogun, Plateau, and Sokoto. Alhaji Abubakar Tambuwal, provost of the College of Nursing Science, Sokoto shares some insights about the innovative project and its impact on Nigeria鈥檚 capacity to train healthcare workers. Learn more 禄
By Christie Ethridge Diez, 2020-2021 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow
Christie Ethridge Diez is a reporter and anchor for Atlanta TV station at 11alive (WXIA) and a 2020-2021 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow. In late March 2021, she shared her story of loss, grief, and strength on the Carter Center鈥檚 Instagram account after her father鈥檚 Alzheimer鈥檚 disease diagnosis. Her moving posts, minimally edited, are reproduced here. All photos are courtesy of Christie Ethridge Diez. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz,听vice president, health programs
Following on my commentary last month regarding health care capacity building at the community level, it鈥檚 fitting now to acknowledge our government partners鈥� eagerness and ability to exercise ownership of programs taking place within their borders. Learn more 禄
By Vanessa Scholtens, program associate, Trachoma Control Program
How do we know if a person has trachoma, a bacterial eye disease? A trained worker must examine a person鈥檚 inner eyelid and look for the signs. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz,听vice president, health programs
The Carter Center鈥檚 neglected tropical disease programs treat and prevent Guinea worm disease, trachoma, river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis, with the goal to control, eliminate, and eradicate. Beyond the alleviation of the human suffering caused by these illnesses, this work brings ancillary benefits to communities, health systems, and infrastructure that may be just as important. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer, and Kashef Ijaz, vice president, health programs
The world鈥檚 most vulnerable people work hard every day to overcome poverty and disease. They aren鈥檛 interested in handouts, but with a hand up they can get the resources they need to surmount obstacles to prosperity and peace. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer
When new CEO Paige Alexander first saw the cafeteria in the Carter Center鈥檚 Atlanta office, paper shamrocks and pots of gold adorned the walls to mark St. Patrick鈥檚 Day. Only it wasn鈥檛 March. It was June 2020. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz,听vice president, health programs
Global mental health has been called the 鈥渟ilent,鈥� 鈥減arallel,鈥� or 鈥渘ext鈥� pandemic. Learn more 禄
By Helen Robinson, associate director, public policy
Many Georgians face barriers to accessing mental health care. While this is not a new problem, The Carter Center believes it is urgent that state leaders address the issue during the current public health crisis. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center is honored to join The Saporta Report鈥檚 Global Health Thought Leaders rotation. For readers who may not be familiar with our work, allow us to introduce ourselves. Learn more 禄
By Laura Neuman, director, Rule of Law Program
Laura Neuman, senior advisor to The Carter Center, discusses the Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign, what it鈥檚 all about, and why it matters. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, vice president, health programs
The observance of World Neglected Tropical Disease Day on Jan. 30 (following the public launch of the 2030 NTD Road Map by the WHO on Jan. 28) prompts me to reflect on my good fortune in overseeing the Carter Center鈥檚 tireless work to free people from an array of illnesses that cause untold misery and perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Learn more 禄
By Ben Spears, senior program associate, Conflict Resolution Program
This is an exciting time in Sudan. After 30 years, a period marked by civil war in Darfur and other areas of the country, Omar al-Bashir was forced from power in a revolution led largely by young women and men. Now Sudan is working out a new identity as it transitions to peace and democracy, and young people can lead the way. Learn more 禄
By Paige Alexander, chief executive officer, The Carter Center
I don鈥檛 need to tell you what a strange and challenging year 2020 has been. A pandemic has forced us to avoid close human interactions, but The Carter Center has been fortunate and is taking advantage of the opportunities that technology brings to keep moving forward with our mission to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope. Learn more 禄
By David Carroll, director, Democracy Program
Engaging in the U.S. is more complicated than in other countries because we don鈥檛 have a centralized election administration 鈥� we have a patchwork of about 10,000 jurisdictions across 50 states. (That, by the way, is one of several areas in which the U.S. falls short of international election standards.) Learn more 禄
The Carter Center is partnering with Cure Violence Global and Princeton University鈥檚 Bridging Divides Initiative on a project to mitigate violence that could erupt in some U.S. communities in the days before and after the November election. Learn more 禄
By Kelly Callahan, M.P.H., director, Trachoma Control Program
When COVID-19 appeared, the first thing public health experts advised us all to do was to wash our hands frequently and thoroughly. This is excellent advice, and it鈥檚 what the Carter Center鈥檚 Trachoma Control Program has been teaching people for 20 years. Learn more 禄
By Helen Robinson, associate director, public policy, Mental Health Program
Under the leadership of Rosalynn Carter, the Carter Center鈥檚 Mental Health Program is joining with partner organizations to bring attention to urgent public policy issues impacting mental health in Georgia and across the United States. The Carter Center鈥檚 Helen Robinson, associate director of public policy in the Mental Health Program, answers questions about how the program works to improve access to mental health care for all Georgians. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
At this time of great challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been deeply moved by the commitment of our Carter Center staff to our mission to help the world鈥檚 poorest people. Indeed, our aim to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope has never been more urgent than it is today. Learn more 禄
By Peace Habomugisha, Uganda country director
Steven Ocopcan is 77 years old, and he well remembers how river blindness affected his community in Uganda when he was a child. "At the time, people thought they had annoyed God and, in return, he cursed us," Ocopcan told me. "Many people sacrificed cows, goats, and hens to God, but this didn鈥檛 work. People accused one another of bewitching others. It was bad." Learn more 禄
By Daniel Deng Madit Kuchlong, health agent, South Sudan鈥檚 Guinea Worm Eradication Program
Daniel Deng Madit Kuchlong, aka Daniel Deng, is a health agent with South Sudan鈥檚 Guinea Worm Eradication Program. Here is his firsthand account, lightly edited, of how Guinea worm has affected his life. Learn more 禄
By Laura Neuman, director, Rule of Law Program
Selima Begum, 28, is the mother of a 7-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. They live in Tuker Bazar Union, Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. Since her divorce, Begum has struggled to provide necessary medical care for her son, at times having to forgo routine medical treatments because of a lack of money. Though she works as a housecleaner when she can, it often does not pay enough to meet all her family鈥檚 needs. Learn more 禄
By Abeer Al Fouti, Executive Director of Global Initiatives, Alwaleed Philanthropies
You almost certainly have never heard of Guinea worm disease. It doesn鈥檛 generate news headlines, is not often top of mind for global health experts, and does not attract large-scale funding for eradication efforts. Yet we are close to eliminating this devastating disease, with just a final effort required to make it gone for good. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
In 1982, President and Mrs. Carter created a new kind of post-presidential institution, not a think tank, but an organization acting to alleviate suffering and advance human rights for the world鈥檚 poorest people. Ever since, innovation has been part of the Center鈥檚 DNA. Learn more 禄
In many parts of the world, repression is on the rise and freedom on the decline. But brave human rights defenders continue to fight for equality and fair treatment for all. Hear what participants in our Human Rights Defenders Forum have to say about the state of human rights across the globe. Learn what they鈥檙e doing to protect and promote these rights 鈥� and how you, too, can be a defender. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter discuss how the Center wages peace and fights disease to build hope for millions around the world. They also take questions from the audience. Learn more 禄
By Angelia Sanders, associate director, Trachoma Control Program and vice chair, International Coalition for Trachoma Control
Natural disasters, conflict, and other factors can force entire populations to leave their homes and seek safer living conditions elsewhere. Such people are known as internally displaced persons (or IDPs) if they move within their home country or refugees if they cross international boundaries. Refugees are protected by international laws; IDPs are not. Learn more 禄
By John Goodman, associate director in the Conflict Resolution Program
The Carter Center's John Goodman, associate director in the Conflict Resolution Program, spoke recently to Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque in Bamako, Mali, about ongoing violence and instability in Mali and how the people there have seen few, if any, dividends from the peace agreement signed four years ago. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
The Carter Center operates dozens of initiatives addressing a range of challenging peace and health issues. Some of them seek to end human rights abuses and promote sustainable peace, while others help improve the health of at-risk people in remote places. Learn more 禄
Courtenay Harris Bond is a 2017鈥�18 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship recipient. She is a freelance journalist and currently a Scattergood Foundation Journalist-in-Residence. Learn more 禄
Just a few years ago, ISIS controlled giant swaths of Syria 鈥� its combined lands totaled more than 34,000 square miles, just a little less than you鈥檒l find in the state of Indiana. Today, it has lost all that territory. But that doesn鈥檛 mean it is no longer a threat to the people of Syria. Individuals and groups with ties to ISIS continue to carry out attacks, even as the nature and number of those attacks change. Learn more 禄
Through its Public Health Training Initiatives in Nigeria and Sudan, The Carter Center helps educational institutions improve the way they prepare health workers to serve the public. In Nigeria, the initiative supports one institution in each of six states. Learn more 禄
By Hunter Keys, consultant, Hispaniola Initiative
In the poor neighborhoods where malaria festers in the Dominican Republic, people describe someone who hustles through everyday life as a chiripero, a 鈥渓ucky sort.鈥� Learn more 禄
The Carter Center, with the support of UK Aid, helped prepare a range of voter education materials for the March 31 municipal elections in Yangon, Myanmar. A coalition of 10 civil society organizations, coordinated by our partner New Myanmar Foundation, is using the materials in its street campaign. These are Yangon鈥檚 first elections with universal suffrage, so many women and youth will be voting for the first time. Learn more 禄
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expresses support for the global campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease and partner efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases. Dr. Tedros personally thanks former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for his leadership in the fight against Guinea worm and The Carter Center for being a cornerstone of the campaign. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
The Center鈥檚 work is never easy, even in the best of times, when the world seems eager to embrace the efforts you help make possible in seeking peace, health, and hope for people in need. Learn more 禄
By Eve Byrd, director, Carter Center Mental Health Program
Under the leadership and guidance of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, The Carter Center Mental Health Program is joining with other organizations to bring attention and resources to mental health care, both in the United States and abroad. Program Director Eve Byrd explains. Learn more 禄
By Andr茅s Berm煤dez Li茅vano, 2017-18 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow
My country suffered through 50 years of violent internal conflict before The Carter Center and others helped the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia conclude a historic peace agreement in 2016. While the parties to the talks continue to create and shape a new political reality, people who lived through the conflict are seeking ways to deal with what they have seen and endured. Learn more 禄
If you missed the Carter Center's original webcast of "Harmonizing Religion and Human Rights," an archive version of the panel discussion can be watched below. Learn more 禄
By Iman Ben Chaibah, recipient of a 2017鈥�2018 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship
In September, I completed my Rosalynn Carter Fellowship in Mental Health Journalism. The fellowships were started by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter about 20 years ago to provide journalists with resources and opportunities to accurately and holistically report on mental health in their countries and their regions. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
At The Carter Center, we believe people can improve their own lives when they have the right skills, knowledge, and access to resources. I鈥檇 like to introduce you to a few people who are making a real difference in their communities. Learn more 禄
Reverend Esther Ibanga is the senior pastor of Jos Christian Missions International and the president and founder of Women Without Walls Initiative (WOWWI), an organization established to address the persistent ethno鈥搑eligious conflicts in Plateau state. Under her leadership, WOWWI has provided a platform for women across different ethnic and religious groups to activate their voices in the call for peace. Learn more 禄
In case you missed 鈥淎 Conversation with the Carters鈥� on Sept. 11 at The Carter Center, an archived version of the webcast can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
Meet Penda听Mbaye, program manager for听Tostan in Senegal, where the international nonprofit听works to empower women and girls and create positive social change. As an attendee of the Carter Center鈥檚 Human Rights Defenders Forum, Mbaye shared听her expertise in human rights education and community outreach. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
It鈥檚 no secret that this world is full of problems鈥攕ome big and terrifying, some small and trivial. It may seem overwhelming at times, but it doesn鈥檛 have to be paralyzing. Learn more 禄
To extend the reach of their stories and maintain relevance in a world of spinning news cycles, journalists today often have mandates to create social media accounts and share a weekly quota of posts on them. But for Jaclyn Cosgrove, a 2015-16 recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, social media means more than just posting her story. Learn more 禄
A landmark study in which The Carter Center is participating could radically change the public health model in the developing world, experts say. Learn more 禄
Malaria, a potentially deadly disease, with its fevers, aches, and extreme fatigue, definitely is not cool. But a music video featuring a great dance beat and a team of top Haitian performers? Now that鈥檚 cool! Learn more 禄
Last year, a Liberian woman named Beatrix decided she wanted to run for a seat in Liberia鈥檚 House of Representatives. But when she told her husband of her plan, he told her that she couldn鈥檛, because she was a woman. Learn more 禄
In Feburary 2018, President Carter got candid about China in a guest lecture at Emory University. President Carter discussed factors that led to his decision to normalize U.S. relations with China in 1979. He also talks about a dinner conversation with President Deng Xiaoping that likely led to a surge of Christianity in China, now one of the world's leading producers of Bibles. Learn more 禄
By Kelly Callahan, director, Trachoma Control Program
Hard work for a good cause can be its own reward. It鈥檚 even better when you have results to show for it. In 2018 The Carter Center is marking 20 years of impact against trachoma, the world鈥檚 leading cause of preventable blindness. Learn more 禄
By Laura Neuman, director, Carter Center Global Access to Information Program
Access to information is a transformative human right. Enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, access to information is foundational not just for the exercise of other rights, but also for economic empowerment and meaningful participation in public life. And yet, a large portion of the world鈥檚 population is unable to enjoy this right. Learn more 禄
For these boys, freedom from a disfiguring disease means freedom to pursue their dreams on the diamond. Angel Ciriaco and Rigoberto Bryan are best friends who live in San Pedro de Macoris, a province in the southeastern Dominican Republic. The two 16-year-olds like to talk about school, about girls, and most of all about baseball. Learn more 禄
Play our puzzle! Find peace, health, and hope words in the Carter Center鈥檚 Word Search below. Learn more 禄
By Adamu Sallau, director, Carter Center health programs in Nigeria鈥檚 Imo and Abia states
Scientific or logistical challenges aren鈥檛 the only issues Carter Center personnel have to deal with while tracking down, treating, and preventing neglected tropical diseases in remote places. Cultural issues often play a role as well, and we have to handle them respectfully and sensitively. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
We all know Benjamin Franklin鈥檚 proverb 鈥淎n ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.鈥� It makes sense to try to keep a bad thing from happening rather than to try to fix the mess that results if you let the bad thing happen. This simple but profound principle is at work in everything we do at The Carter Center. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center and Emory University celebrate an amazing 35-year partnership in 2017, a rare and productive union between a nongovernmental organization and a leading institution of higher education. Together, our reach has improved the lives of millions of the world's poorest people through disease prevention, conflict resolution, and the strengthening of human rights and democracy. Learn more 禄
By Jason Kibiswa Bulambo, technical trainer
The Human Rights House operates three neighborhood Youth Houses, or Maisons des Jeunes 鈥� two in Kinshasa and one in Goma 鈥� where we work to encourage the positive and constructive participation of youth in public affairs. We provide a free space for debate, which encourages the free exchange of ideas on participatory democracy. Learn more 禄
By Jordan Ryan, vice president, peace programs
Over the course of six recent posts, I shared some of the approaches to waging peace that that The Carter Center and its founder, former President Jimmy Carter, have developed or learned over many years. Learn more 禄
By Houda Abadi, associate director, Conflict Resolution Program
Hate crimes in the U.S. against Muslims or people who look as if they may be Muslim are at an all-time high. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, from 2015 to 2016 the number of anti-Muslim hate groups in the U.S. grew 197 percent and anti-Muslim hate crimes surged 67 percent. From January to July 2017, there were 63 attacks on mosques. Learn more 禄
By Jordan Ryan, vice president, peace programs
The Carter Center鈥檚 motto is 鈥淲aging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope.鈥� In these times, the task for peacemakers is urgent. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Dean G. Sienko, vice president, health programs
At The Carter Center, we never want anyone to be dependent on us. All of our programs are designed to solve problems, and to help our partners build their own capability, resiliency, and self-reliance. We believe in meaningful partnerships, not only with donors and governments but also鈥攁nd most importantly鈥攚ith the communities where we work. Learn more 禄
By Jordan Ryan, vice president, peace programs
The task for peacemakers today is urgent. Learn more 禄
Juliana Onwumere is a neglected tropical disease coordinator in Imo state ministry of health. As The Carter Center and partners fight to eliminate river blindness disease in Nigeria, one of Onwumere鈥檚 tasks is to collect black flies to be tested for evidence of the disease. Learn more 禄
Millions will be spared future suffering thanks to collaborative efforts of The Carter Center and Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health to address widespread neglected diseases such river blindness. Hear from Nigeria's Minister of Health, Dr. Isaac Adewole, on the importance of this partnership. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Frank Richards, director, River Blindness Elimination Program
There鈥檚 a famous line in the movie 鈥淛aws鈥� 鈥� after the stunned sheriff sees the monster shark for the first time, he says to the shark hunter: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e gonna need a bigger boat.鈥� Learn more 禄
By Rebecca Palpant Shimkets, associate director, Carter Center Mental Health Program
Seeing South Africa鈥檚 mental health journalism program blossom fills me, along with Rosalynn Carter and everyone here at the Carter Center鈥檚 Mental Health Program, with the kind of pride one feels when a family member receives a university degree. We are thrilled to have helped the program take its first steps. Learn more 禄
How do dirty clothes hanging in a tree help eliminate river blindness in Nigeria? Dr. Frank Richards, who directs the Carter Center鈥檚 programs on river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis, explains. Learn more 禄
By Jordan Ryan, vice president, peace programs
In these times, the task for peacemakers is urgent. Learn more 禄
By Tye Tavaras
Until 1924鈥檚 Indian Citizenship Act, American Indians did not have the legal right to vote. Learn more 禄
Dr. Frank Richards, who directs the Carter Center鈥檚 programs on river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis, explains why health education matters in the fight to eliminate diseases. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer, The Carter Center.
We think big at The Carter Center. Big ideas, big plans, big goals. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Emmanuel Miri, Carter Center country representative, Nigeria
Gabriel Ani is a farmer and schoolteacher in the Ndiulo Enugu-Nato village in Enugu State, Nigeria, who loves his community and is loved back. Gabriel is a community volunteer drug distributor 鈥� the hands, feet, and heart of our River Blindness Elimination Program. For nine years, he has served more than 1,000 people in 129 households, carefully measuring each person to determine the proper dosage of medicine and recording it in a ledger. Learn more 禄
Watch how Nigerian Joel Kasuwa, a passionate and committed volunteer, is working with The Carter Center to help us eliminate river blindness in Nigeria. Learn more 禄
By Jordan Ryan, vice president, peace programs
The Carter Center鈥檚 motto is 鈥淲aging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope.鈥� In today鈥檚 world, the task for peacemakers is urgent. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center鈥檚 Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Extremism initiative has issued a paper that analyzes how the Islamic extremist group targets children in its recruitment materials and uses them in its operations. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer, The Carter Center
Leveraging the experience of our pioneering work to eradicate Guinea worm disease, The Carter Center made the audacious decision to pursue elimination of river blindness (onchocerciasis) everywhere we work on it in Africa and Latin America. Learn more 禄
In case you missed 鈥淲aging Peace in Turbulent Times鈥� on April 13, 2017, an archived webcast of this event can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
Watch the video below to hear former U.S. President Jimmy Carter鈥檚 remarks听at the 2017听World Health Organization鈥檚 Global Partners Meeting in Geneva on the worldwide effort to reduce the burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Learn more 禄
Why is it critical to eliminate river blindness in Nigeria? Our CEO Amb. Mary Ann Peters and Nigerian Minister of Health Dr. Isaac Adewole explain the need and great potential in this brief video. Learn more 禄
By Jordan Ryan, vice president, peace programs
In today鈥檚 world, the task for peacemakers is urgent. Learn more 禄
By Jordan Ryan, vice president, peace programs
In this time of extreme polarization, when violence seems to be the 鈥渘ew normal,鈥� we face a threat of escalating conflict at home and abroad. The task for peacemakers is urgent. Learn more 禄
By Kelly Callahan, M.P.H., director, Carter Center Trachoma Control Program
One of the horrible hallmarks of advanced trachoma is a painful inward turning of the eyelids. This condition, called trachomatous trichiasis, causes the sufferer鈥檚 eyelashes to scrape the surface of the eye, often leading to blindness. Among other interventions, The Carter Center trains and equips local health-care workers to perform a simple outpatient surgical procedure that reverses the condition. Learn more 禄
Liberia鈥檚 2014-2015 Ebola crisis, following a 14-year civil war, left devastated families in its wake. Thousands of children and adolescents were orphaned, confined in isolation units, or stranded at home watching loved ones suffer and die, triggering a special set of post-traumatic mental health challenges. Learn more 禄
Cecilia Conrad, managing director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, discusses the Carter Center鈥檚 100&Change听proposal, which aims to eliminate river blindness in Nigeria. Learn more 禄
By Jimmy Carter, co-founder, The Carter Center
After leaving the White House, Rosalynn and I searched our hearts for ways to use our unique position to help those less fortunate around the world. We knew that two issues were of paramount importance: advancing peace and preventing human suffering. Learn more 禄
By Dean G. Sienko, M.D., M.S., vice president, Carter Center Health Programs
I鈥檓 the new guy around here. Although I鈥檝e visited and worked in many places during my medical career 鈥� including multiple overseas deployments with the U.S. Army 鈥� my first trip abroad with The Carter Center was a new highlight. Learn more 禄
In case you missed the Center鈥檚 Facebook Live coverage of U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Dr. Donald Hopkins鈥� press conference on Jan. 11, 2017, an archived webcast of this event can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
In this exclusive interview, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter ventures behind-the-scenes of 鈥淐ountdown to Zero: Defeating Disease,鈥� an exhibition created in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, open at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum through听Oct. 9. Learn more 禄
By Jake Turner, intern, Latin America and Caribbean Program
As an intern in the Latin America and Caribbean Program, I had the opportunity to be part of Colombia鈥檚 domestic election observation to witness Colombians voting abroad on Oct. 2 in a plebiscite to approve the peace accord between the government and the Marxist rebel group FARC.听 Our assignment was to observe the vote at the consulate in Atlanta. Learn more 禄
One afternoon last summer, a 14-year-old boy from China turned up at The Carter Center bearing a check for $451. Leo Hu and his schoolmates in Xi-an raised the money by charging admission to a play they wrote about Syrian refugees, and he flew all the way to across the Pacific to deliver it in person. Learn more 禄
Thirteen-year-old Jude Musa looked serious, even stoic, as a volunteer from his village gauged his height with a measuring stick. Community drug distributor Yusuf Maikeffi determined the proper dose of praziquantel and handed the tablets to the boy, who popped them into his mouth and chased them with fresh water from a plastic pouch. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
As I write this, The Carter Center is closing in on the distribution of its 500 millionth dose of drugs to combat neglected tropical diseases. That鈥檚 half a billion doses of medication given to tens of millions of people suffering or at risk for river blindness, trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis. Big institutional milestones are the result of small individual efforts. Learn more 禄
By Hunter Keys, consultant, Hispaniola Initiative
Parasites keep strange schedules. Those that cause lymphatic filariasis, for example, are mostly active at night. To detect parasites in the blood, health workers will take a nocturnal sample, sometimes as late as 2 a.m. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Frank Richards, director, River Blindness Elimination Program
My career has come full circle. I was working in Guatemala for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1988 on the parasitic worm disease called river blindness. Then, Guatemala was Latin America鈥檚 most endemic country for the disease, which is spread by bites of black flies breeding in streams. Now, the World Health Organization has verified that Guatemala has eliminated the disease. This is a monumental achievement, reflecting 28 years of effort. Learn more 禄
In case you missed 鈥淥bserving U.S. Elections鈥� on Oct.听13, 2016, an archived webcast听of this听event can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
In advance of the U.S. presidential election of 2016, which will take place on Nov. 8, Davis-Roberts and Carroll answered questions on听election observation in the United States. Learn more 禄
On Sept. 15, members of the Center鈥檚 Americas Program traveled to Bogot谩, Colombia, for the launch of Trayectoria Institucional de los DDH en Colombia: Retos para Tiempos de Paz, a new publication produced by The Carter Center. Learn more 禄
In case you missed 鈥淎 Conversation with the Carters鈥� on Sept.听13, 2016, an archived webcast听of this听event can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
For more than 50 years, Colombia has been plagued by civil war. The fighting forced more than 5 million people from their homes and claimed the lives of more than 200,000, according to most reports. But finally, after four years of negotiations, peace is at hand. The Carter Center has been working behind the scenes in Colombia to help prepare for life after war. Learn more 禄
Every year, thousands of people leave their home countries and travel to Syria or Iraq to join Daesh, also known as ISIS. Why? What compels these people 鈥� most of them young, most of them men 鈥� to leave their families and the relative comforts of their homes to fight and die in places where they have no ties? How can we stop others from following in their footsteps? Learn more 禄
This month, the United Nations turned over the responsibility for Liberia鈥檚 security to the Liberian government. It鈥檚 the first time in 13 years that the government has been solely in charge of keeping the peace. Learn more 禄
Welcome to the Carter Center鈥檚 new听website which embraces new tools, new technology, and new servers. The result? A new and improved website with an updated look. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer, The Carter Center
The Carter Center operates under the firm conviction that听people are capable of solving their own challenges, and our听role is to provide them the tools and training to do it. Learn more 禄
One simple way we can help people dealing with mental illness is by choosing our words with care. How we speak and write about mental illness can help either reinforce or break down stereotypes. The Carter Center has long worked to reduce stigma by providing fellowships to journalists covering mental health. Learn more 禄
Without information, it is almost impossible to ensure your rights are protected, improve your economic situation, or make your voice heard. In case you missed 鈥淭he Power of Information鈥� at The Carter Center on March 15, 2016, an archived webcast of this Conversations at The Carter Center event can be viewed here. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
During my 18 months at The Carter Center, I鈥檝e been struck repeatedly not only by the frequency of our successes, but also by the chance to appreciate them on two vastly differ颅ent scales. Learn more 禄
By Nandi Vanka, program assistant, Democracy Program
Impartial election observers help build confidence in the integrity of the voting process, and their assessments and recommendations help protect voters鈥� rights. Learn more 禄
By Chris Hale, associate director, Global Access to Information Program
鈥淚nformation is power鈥� is a refrain most of us have heard before. The work of The Carter Center鈥檚 Global Access to Information Program rests not only on a firm belief that information is power, but that the right to access information is the basic currency for democratic participation and an active and full exercise of citizenship. Learn more 禄
The world鈥檚 two great superpowers could achieve more progress if there were less suspicion and more cooperation between them, participants in a series of bilateral Carter Center forums say. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter received back-to-back honors this week in appreciation of his efforts to promote peace and human rights. Learn more 禄
In case you missed 鈥淪tories from 100 Elections鈥� at The Carter Center on Dec. 2, 2015, an archived webcast听of this Conversations at The Carter Center听event听can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer, The Carter Center
Carter Center founders Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have been an inspiration for our work for more than three decades. With President Carter鈥檚 recent announcement that he is in treatment for melanoma, many of our friends have asked what the plans are for Carter Center programs without the Carters. Learn more 禄
The people of Myanmar took a major step in moving their country toward democratic rule, turning out in large numbers to cast their ballots in November 2015 elections. Learn more 禄
Success in sports is said to be 90 percent mental. Even for a physically gifted athlete like Chamique Holdsclaw, that number may be low. Learn more 禄
Last May in Guyana, The Carter Center celebrated its 100th election observation mission. In this Q&A, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who led the Center鈥檚 first election mission to Panama in 1989 and 38 of the 99 that followed, discusses three decades of elections, remembering ones that made history, ones that put his life in danger, and one that brought tears to his eyes. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Gregory Noland, epidemiologist
In honor of Malaria Day in the Americas, we asked Carter Center expert and epidemiologist Dr. Gregory Noland to explain how fighting the disease in Hispaniola differs from strategies employed in Africa. Learn more 禄
After more than 50 years of oppressive military rule, the southeast Asian nation of Myanmar is emerging from isolation and taking its first tentative steps toward democracy. Learn more 禄
In case you missed 鈥淪yria: In Search of Solutions鈥� at The Carter Center on Oct. 13, 2015, an archived version can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
By Ben Selkow, 2010-11 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow and documentary filmmaker
In summarizing his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience, war veteran and former U.S. Army Captain Luis Carlos听Montalv谩n听says, 鈥淎 disproportionate amount of听time is spent thinking about the past than your average person. Learn more 禄
By Matthew Nyanplu, journalist from Monrovia, Liberia
In the last few years, there has been an awakening in the consciousness of Liberian communities that people living with mental illness are a valuable part of society and represent an important resource for social transformation and community cohesion. Learn more 禄
In case you missed 鈥淎 Conversation with the Carters鈥� on Sept. 15 at The Carter Center, an archived version of the webcast can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
By Donald Hopkins, M.D., is special advisor, Guinea Worm Eradication Program, The Carter Center
Donald Hopkins, M.D., is special advisor to听the Guinea Worm Eradication Program at The Carter Center and has been leading the effort听to eradicate this neglected disease for over 25 years. Listen below as he tells听NPR鈥檚 Robin Young about the Center鈥檚 efforts to rid the world of this ancient and painful affliction. Learn more 禄
At a recent听TEDWomen 2015 conference, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter听spoke out against violence directed toward听women and named abuse of women and girls as the number one human rights violation in the world. Learn more 禄
By Dr. John Bartlett, senior project adviser, Mental Health Program
In 1993, my 92-year-old mother suffered a severe heart attack. After two months in the hospital, she returned home a changed woman. On the day of her heart attack, she had been dancing听around in her famous red pantsuit with her grandchildren, but back at home following her hospital stay, she would sit on the sofa, motionless, not talking 听very much, and eating less. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer, The Carter Center
Passion and courage abound at The Carter Center. These two valuable resources compel and sustain expatriate staff and hundreds of in-country employees and volunteers who work to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope. Learn more 禄
David Carroll, director of the Carter Center鈥檚 Democracy Program, has been in the field for about 40 of the Center鈥檚 election observation missions and helped manage another 30 or so from headquarters in Atlanta. On the eve of the Center鈥檚 100th election mission, which will take place in Guyana on May 11, he sat down to explain how election observation works and how the field has changed since 1989, when the Center began its election work. Learn more 禄
In 2014, Carter Center health programs assisted in the distribution of more drug treatments for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) than in any previous year, demonstrating the Center鈥檚 commitment to alleviating suffering and improving the lives of those who live in the world鈥檚 poorest and most isolated communities. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center began its work in Haiti and the Dominican Republic after a 2006 recommendation by the Center-sponsored International Task Force for Disease Eradication declared it is 鈥渢echnically feasible, medically desirable, and economically beneficial鈥� to eliminate both malaria and lymphatic filariasis from the shared island of Hispaniola.听 Learn more 禄
In case you missed 鈥淧eace in Liberia, 10 Years Later鈥� at The Carter Center, an archived version of the webcast can be viewed below. Learn more 禄
By Katherine Kam, 2012-2013 recipient of a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism
Civil wars, a country in ruins, a traumatized population of four million people, and only one psychiatrist for the entire West African country of Liberia. When the country鈥檚 Ministry of Health invited The Carter Center to help build mental health services in the conflict鈥檚 aftermath, questions abounded. Learn more 禄
On Feb. 10, 2015, three human rights defenders joined President Carter for a discussion on protecting the rights of women and girls, with a special emphasis on women and peacemaking and on the role religious leaders can play in this effort. Learn more 禄
By Yawei Liu, director, China Program
The relationship between the U.S. and China is an incredibly important one. In the 36 years since former U.S. President Jimmy Carter normalized relations between the two superpowers, the countries have developed a productive and mutually beneficial relationship. But suspicion and mistrust still exist. Much of the Carter Center鈥檚 work in China in the last few years has involved advancing U.S.-China relations, in part by nurturing the next generation of leaders in both nations. Learn more 禄
A special exhibition听exploring the challenges and benefits of eradicating disease runs听Jan. 13 鈥� July 12, 2015, at听the听American Museum of Natural History. Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, developed in collaboration with The Carter Center, uses stunning photography, videography, and artifacts to highlight several global efforts to fight infections.听Chief among these is the campaign led by The Carter听Center that may soon eradicate Guinea worm disease. Learn more 禄
Dr. Thomas H. Bornemann, director of the Carter Center鈥檚 Mental Health Program, answers questions on the importance of the 30th Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, progress made over the past three decades, and challenges that lie ahead. Learn more 禄
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer
Long before I joined The Carter Center as its chief executive officer in August, I knew of its amazing work as an action-oriented nongovernmental organization improving the lives of people worldwide. It is a great honor to join this mission-driven group that pursues with such vigor and effectiveness the vision of President and Mrs. Carter for peace and global human rights. Learn more 禄
When Tunisians took to the polls on Sunday, Nov. 23, to elect a听president of their choice in a genuine democratic election, a Carter Center team of 85 were听on hand to observe the election process and report on its fairness. Learn more 禄
On Nov. 5, 2014, in partnership with The Elders, The Carter Center produced a live webcast of the听Conversations event听鈥淏uilding a Lasting Peace: Where are the Women?鈥� Learn more 禄
By Dr. John Stremlau, vice president, peace programs.
Last week, I was in Mozambique to observe the country鈥檚 fifth national election since the end of a bitter civil war that raged for 15 years following the country鈥檚 independence from Portugal in 1975. The election was mostly peaceful and far more competitive, transparent, and inclusive than earlier ones we observed. Learn more 禄
By Amy Standen, 2013-2014 recipient, Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism
On Oct. 10, through a partnership between The Carter Center and PsychCentral.com, dozens of bloggers will participate in the fourth annual blog party, publishing their thoughts about mental health in observance of World Mental Health Day. Learn more 禄
Watch former U.S. President Jimmy Carter鈥檚 video message from the Social Good Summit in New York City on Sept. 21, 2014. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Frank Richards, director, River Blindness Elimination Program.
Dr. Frank Richards leads the Carter Center鈥檚 efforts to eliminate river blindness (also known as onchocerciasis), a parasitic disease transmitted by the bites of infected black flies. On Aug. 12, 2014, The Carter Center held a special ceremony in northern Uganda to celebrate the distribution of the 200 millionth Mectizan庐 drug treatment, used to eliminate river blindness, supported by The Carter Center worldwide. The following is based on Dr. Richards鈥� speech at the event. Learn more 禄
By Dr. John Hardman, chief executive officer.
In September, I will step down as president and CEO of The Carter Center after more than 20 tremendously fulfilling years. I have been awed, inspired, and challenged by the way founders Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have used their influence to make a difference in the world. Learn more 禄
By Jay Beck, coordinator, Carter Center Weekend.
This year, we moved our annual Carter Weekend fundraiser from February to late June where we gathered amid the majestic mountains of Vail, Colorado, for a weekend of shared laughs and adventures, culminating in an auction to benefit the Center鈥檚 work to advance peace and health worldwide. Learn more 禄
By Mulat Zerihun Lemu, regional manager, Carter Center trachoma and malaria control projects in the Amhara region of Ethiopia.
I learned how great a need there was for eye services in my community during the 10 years I spent working for the Ethiopian government as an ophthalmic expert. Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of blindness in the world, and trachoma is a major cause of this disability in my country. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will provide remarks at an exhibit of听Chinese听paintings to commemorate the 35th听anniversary of the normalization of U.S.-China听relations on Thursday, July 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Center鈥檚 Cecil B. Day Chapel. 听The exhibit is co-sponsored by The Carter Center and the听Chinese听Artists Association, which is听China鈥檚 premier art institution with 6,000 members. Learn more 禄
Tara Brant spent four-and-a-half years working in South Sudan on the front lines of the war on Guinea worm disease. She was a technical assistant and regional coordinator charged with ensuring each case of Guinea worm in her area was contained, educating communities on how to prevent the disease, and tracking down real and rumored outbreaks. She served in South Sudan from 2007 to 2009 and 2011 to 2013. She is currently a graduate student in Liverpool, England. Learn more 禄
鈥淭oday, let us renew our resolve to ensure that 2014 is the last year the world reports cases of Guinea worm disease.鈥� 鈥� Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Learn more 禄
By Paige Rohe, assistant director, Health Programs.
It may be tempting to hear about a neglected disease like trachoma and the 390 million people globally at risk and think of trachoma only as another sad statistic in a world where there is too much suffering and where there are not enough solutions. Yet, while trachoma is a disease of poverty, it also was once much more prolific than many people know. Until only a few decades ago, trachoma was endemic to the United States and my home state of Georgia. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director, Americas Program.
Panama鈥檚 elections were full of contradictions and tensions. Defying the polls, the winning candidate, Juan Carlos Varela, was the sitting vice president estranged from the president and running in opposition. With the possibility of the governing party continuing in office for the first time since the ouster of Manuel Noriega in 1990, fears of a growing concentration of power contributed to Panamanians rejecting the party that had led the highest economic growth rates in the hemisphere and a president with over 60 percent approval ratings. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center鈥檚 community justice advisors (CJAs) are bringing free legal services 鈥� and awareness of how the law should work 鈥� to urban slums in Liberia鈥檚 capital, Monrovia. Learn more 禄
Former President Jimmy Carter appeared on Comedy Central鈥檚 鈥淭he Colbert Report鈥� on March 25 to discuss his new book, 鈥淎 Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power.鈥� Learn more 禄
The suffering of women and girls can be alleviated when individuals take forceful actions, which can impact larger society, asserts President Carter in his new book 鈥淎 Call to Action.鈥� Political and religious leaders share a special responsibility, but the fact is that all of us can act within our own spheres of influence to meet these challenges. Learn more 禄
By Stephanie Palmer, assistant director, Trachoma Control Program
Flies buzzed in our faces as Fatahou Ibrahim, a Nigerien public health student, and I interviewed Assana*, a young woman with the eye disease trichiasis, and her mother, Habiba, sitting on colorful plastic mats beneath a tree. Assana, in her early 20s, said that trichiasis felt as though 鈥渟omeone stuck a needle in my eye, as if someone hit me.鈥� Learn more 禄
By Benedict Dossen, administrator, Liberia Mental Health Program.
Liberia is a West African country nearly the size of Mississippi with a population of 3.8 million. But unlike many other countries, Liberia only has one practicing psychiatrist. The need for mental health services becomes even more pressing in the context of the nation鈥檚 recovery from a brutal civil war spanning from the early 1990s through 2003. Learn more 禄
By Dr. John Hardman, chief executive officer.
The Carter Center is pioneering the use of today鈥檚 newest technologies in our efforts to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope in the most isolated and inaccessible places on earth. As a result, we are helping people improve their lives more efficiently and cost-effectively than ever before. Learn more 禄
By Dr. John Stremlau, vice president, peace programs.
The Carter Center was pleased to partner with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa for a joint election observation mission to Madagascar鈥檚 Dec. 20 legislative and second-round presidential elections. Former Mauritius President Cassam Uteem, EISA Executive Director Dr. Denis Kadima, and I co-led the delegation. Learn more 禄
The success of the Ugandan National Onchocerciasis Program in Abeju means that fewer children will be ostracized because of river blindness. Many of the benefits of Uganda鈥檚 National Onchocerciasis Elimination Program, supported by The Carter Center, are readily apparent: reduced blindness and itching, increased productivity, and better overall health outcomes. Learn more 禄
In early November, The Carter Center reached a trachoma milestone: supporting the distribution of more than 100 million doses of the trachoma-fighting drug Zithromax庐,听donated by Pfizer Inc. These treatments were provided over the last 11 years to trachoma-endemic communities in six African countries: Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Sudan, and South Sudan. Learn more 禄
Carter Center expert Dr. John Bartlett, a senior project adviser to the Mental Health Program and organizer of this year鈥檚 29th Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, answers your questions submitted via email. Learn more 禄
President Carter spoke with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America about the Center's fight to wipe out trachoma and combat other neglected diseases. No former president has served longer out of office or made such a mark against some of the world's most intractable problems, Stephanopoulos said as he introduced the president. Learn more 禄
Carter Center expert David Pottie explains the importance of Nepal鈥檚 upcoming election and the role of Carter Center observers. Learn more 禄
The geographic lines dividing Sudan and South Sudan 鈥渁re completely blurry, so we focus on the lines that connect us,鈥� Professor Jok Madut Jok, undersecretary in South Sudan鈥檚 Ministry of Culture, said during a 鈥淐onversations at The Carter Center鈥� on Oct. 15. Learn more 禄
Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Robert Pastor and his wife, Margy, a fellowship is now available to support the work and study of a summer fellow in the Carter Center鈥檚 Americas Program. The founder and former director of the Americas Program, Dr. Pastor was advisor for Latin American affairs on the National Security Council in the Carter White House. Learn more 禄
A community art group has been helping the Carter Center鈥檚 Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA) highlight vital health messages. Learn more 禄
On World Mental Health Day, Oct. 10, we here at The Carter Center will pause to reflect upon the many advances in the field of mental health, including improvements in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses, as well as advancing parity for mental health in our health care system. Learn more 禄
By Laura Neuman, manager, Global Access to Information Program
In celebration of International Right to Know Day on Sept. 28, 2013, The Carter Center and local partners in Liberia hosted a series of activities to raise awareness of the value of freedom of information and to encourage the use and full implementation of the country鈥檚 2010 Freedom of Information Act. Learn more 禄
Moultrie, Ga., Police Chief Frank N. Lang Sr. recently traveled with the Carter Center鈥檚 Mental Health Program to Liberia where he helped train local law enforcement officers on how to support people experiencing a mental health crisis. Learn more 禄
The National Council for Behavioral Health has recognized The Carter Center and three other organizations with the 2013 Advocacy Leadership Awards for their contributions to the field of mental health. Learn more 禄
The Nobel Peace Prize, the playwright Henrik Ibsen, the pop group A-ha 鈥� this was pretty much the extent of my knowledge about Norway until recently. But this summer, The Carter Center was invited by the Kingdom of Norway to observe their Internet voting trials in connection with this year鈥檚 parliamentary elections, which took place on Monday, Sept. 9. With a first visit in July, I have since learned a great deal more. Learn more 禄
By Rick Goldsmith, 2013-2014 Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism
I was drawn to WNBA star Chamique Holdsclaw鈥檚 story from the day I read a piece on her in the New York Times in early 2012. She鈥檇 been the best of the best at her sport, took a great fall, but emerged in apparent recovery as an advocate who was remarkably candid about her own story. Learn more 禄
On Sept. 10, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, and Carter Center disease eradication expert Dr. Donald R. Hopkins held a special video chat, 鈥淕lobal Health: How We Can Make a Difference,鈥� to kick off a new series called听Conversations on Google+听launching later this fall. Learn more 禄
鈥淒ark Forest, Black Fly,鈥� an independent documentary feature film from award-winning producer Gary Strieker and Cielo Productions, offers an in-depth look at Uganda鈥檚 pending triumph against river blindness, a disease that has blinded sufferers in Africa for thousands of years. Learn more 禄
On Aug. 19-22, the Carter Center鈥檚 Access to Justice Project, in collaboration with Liberia鈥檚 ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs, trained 30 youth leaders in Kakata on conflict resolution skills and knowledge of the rule of law. Learn more 禄
Watch the Carter Center鈥檚 Far Western Region team observing voter registration for upcoming national and local elections in Nepal and discussing their work. Since 2009, The Carter Center has monitored and reported on issues related to Nepal鈥檚 peace process. The Center鈥檚 long-term observers are deployed throughout the country and often travel to remote communities to gain an understanding of local perspectives. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Tom Frieden, director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
It was an honor to share the stage with former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the 18th annual Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum in May. We celebrated the publication of the MMWR Weekly Report Supplement: 鈥淢ental Health Surveillance Among Children in the United States 鈥� 2005-2011,鈥� the first-ever summary of federal activities tracking children鈥檚 mental disorders in the U.S. Learn more 禄
During its commencement ceremonies May 30, Harvard University presented Carter Center Vice President of Health Programs Dr. Donald Hopkins with an honorary Doctor of Science degree for his leadership in disease eradication, particularly his work on the Center鈥檚 campaign to wipe out the water borne affliction Guinea worm disease. Learn more 禄
Carter Center and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) experts discuss the latest updates on the campaign to wipe out a debilitating parasitic disease, river blindness (onchocerciasis) from the Western Hemisphere via Google+ Hangout On Air. Learn more 禄
On April 18, 2013, former U.S. First Lady and Carter Center Co-Founder Rosalynn Carter and former Congressman Tony Coelho joined experts from the federal government and other mental health officials to discuss new research published in the American Journal of Public Health鈥檚 first theme issue on stigma against people with mental illness at The Carter Center in Atlanta. <p>The theme …</p> Learn more 禄
Rebecca Palpant Shimkets, assistant director in the Carter Center鈥檚 Mental Health Program, describes the stigma facing people with mental illnesses and how the Carter Center鈥檚 activities aim to help. Learn more 禄
By Carter Center Trachoma Control Program Director, Dr. Paul Emerson
This is an excerpt from Carter Center Trachoma Control Program Director Dr. Paul Emerson鈥檚 Huffington Post Blog, 鈥淭he Eye of the Beholder: Why Fighting Trachoma Matters.鈥� Learn more 禄
By Ben Dunant, Carter Center election observer, Nepal
We sat within walls of mud and thatch that warped gently into corners that flaked at the seams, cross-legged on thick carpets with woven Tibetan patterns. Our hosts in the village of Sikles presented us with local food that arrived in portion after portion, all accompanied by steamy hot glasses of raksi, the milky-colored spirit distilled from harvested millet. Learn more 禄
By Tina Rezvani, assistant program coordinator, Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
Recently, the Carter Center Mental Health Program hosted the panel discussion 鈥淏eyond Stigma: Bringing the Conversation about Mental Illness Forward,鈥� on the stigma of mental illness among young adults. One topic that proved especially important was the role social media plays in young people鈥檚 lives and, consequently, their mental health. Learn more 禄
On March 5, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) awarded Dr. Adetokunbo O. Lucas the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award for Dr. Lucas鈥� 鈥渙utstanding humanitarian efforts and achievements that have contributed to improving the health of humankind.鈥� The NFID, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public and health care professionals about infectious disease, has given the award. Learn more 禄
It was hard to feel the chill of winter in San Diego, Calif., as donors and supporters from around the world came together for the Carter Center鈥檚 annual Winter Weekend fundraiser at the Hotel Del Coronado on Feb. 20-24. Now in its 21st year, the Winter Weekends have raised more than $19 million to support the Center鈥檚 work. Learn more 禄
There is no vaccine or medicine to fight Guinea worm disease; instead, The Carter Center uses four main interventions to lead the international campaign against the debilitating parasite. Learn more 禄
Ronald McDonald House Charities庐 (RMHC庐) has awarded The Carter Center $200,000 to support the Mental Health Program in Liberia. The funding will be used to train mental health care providers and to build supportive community environments that will benefit individuals suffering from mental illnesses and their families. Learn more 禄
By Ellen Lust, a Carter Center political analyst in Jordan
Jordan鈥檚 Jan. 23 parliamentary elections are taking place in a climate of uncertainty, due to dissatisfaction with the pace of electoral reform and frustration with the state of the economy. In late-November there were demonstrations against the monarch, sparked by a sharp increase in gas prices. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Carter Center Guinea worm experts Drs. Donald R. Hopkins and Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben will host a media roundtable via Google+ Hangout to announce the provisional Guinea worm case totals for 2012 and discuss significant progress in the international Guinea worm eradication campaign led by The Carter Center. Learn more 禄
By Lindsay Rakers, senior program associate for The Carter Center
Eight years ago, the urine of 12-year-old Jude Ogwu was consistently red from blood. His father, chief of Aboh, a village in southeast Nigeria, took him to the hospital for treatment but received none. The hospital lacked medicine and the resources needed to treat Ogwu, who was suffering. Learn more 禄
It鈥檚 the horrific plague, the 鈥渇iery serpent鈥� of the Bible, found in Egyptian mummies, and may be the inspiration of the modern symbol for medicine. Found today only in the most isolated and neglected communities of the world, Guinea worm disease once afflicted approximately 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia. Learn more 禄
Stewart was a summer 2012 graduate assistant for the Carter Center鈥檚 Trachoma Control Program. She traveled to Ethiopia to help survey families about the Center鈥檚 trachoma prevention activities in partnership with the local communities. Learn more 禄
By Nick Jahr, long-term observer
Sierra Leone鈥檚 last election was a historic one: the first time the country鈥檚 opposition took power more or less peacefully. This also will be a landmark of another sort: the first election conducted solely …</p> Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President and Carter Center Founder Jimmy Carter is answering questions from the public via Facebook, Twitter, and this blog starting Oct. 19, 2012, as part of a year-long commemoration of the Center鈥檚 30th anniversary waging peace and fighting disease worldwide. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has been named the 2012 recipient of the CDC Foundation鈥檚 Hero Award. The foundation honored President Carter for three decades of visionary leadership focused on saving lives, reducing suffering, and providing hope for millions of the world鈥檚 poorest people, as well as for his commitment to achieving a more peaceful and healthy world for us all. Learn more 禄
At a special ceremony at The Carter Center in Atlanta today, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Merck CEO Dr. Roy Vagelos, former Carter Center Executive Director, Dr. Bill Foege, and other guests and dignitaries from around the world gathered to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Merck鈥檚 Mectizan庐 Donation Program. Learn more 禄
By Rebecca Palpant Shimkets, assistant director, Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
The voices of millions will join together this month for breast cancer awareness in walks and runs while pink ribbons are proudly displayed on cars, pins, and airplanes. The walls of secrecy and shame that surrounded breast cancer patients and survivors until recently are toppling with increased public understanding and advances in treatments. Learn more 禄
For the first time, former U.S. President and Carter Center Founder Jimmy Carter will answer questions from the public via Facebook, Twitter, and this blog, as part of a year-long commemoration of the Center鈥檚 30th anniversary of waging peace and fighting disease worldwide. Learn more 禄
On Oct. 10, through a partnership between The Carter Center and PsychCentral.com, dozens of bloggers will participate in a blog party, publishing their thoughts about mental health in observance of World Mental Health Day. 鈥淢ental illness affects all of us, but there are still many myths and misconceptions about these disorders,鈥� said former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Learn more 禄
Ahead of key Oct. 7 presidential elections in Venezuela, The Carter Center is conducting an independent study mission to follow the campaign, with political and electoral analysts interviewing political actors and technical experts on the ground. The Carter Center also will send a small group of experts for an informal presence on election day to interview political actors and voters. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center and BASF continue to work together to make medical history in Africa. The latest donation of nearly 6,000 liters of the BASF larvicide ABATE庐 will be used to combat Guinea worm and river blindness, two neglected tropical diseases that prey on some of the world鈥檚 most disadvantaged communities. Learn more 禄
Today marks an important milestone in President Carter鈥檚 life鈥攈e has had the longest post-White House career of any president. That鈥檚 31 years of waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope since he left office in January 1981, which the former President says has been some of the most rewarding work of his life. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center鈥檚 China Program recently launched a 鈥淐hina in Africa鈥� website to feature original content from African contributors expressing their views on China鈥檚 impact in their respective communities. The project aims to bridge the gap of understanding between Chinese decision-makers and African communities about China鈥檚 impact on the African continent. <p>China Program Director Yawei Liu explains the project.…</p> Learn more 禄
An additional air date has been added across the U.S. for 鈥淔oul Water Fiery Serpent,鈥� an independent documentary feature film that follows dedicated health workers 鈥� including Carter Center staff and national health partners, as well as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter 鈥� engaged in a final battle to eradicate Guinea worm disease in Africa.听 Learn more 禄
The Carter Center is pioneering new technology that allows observations from polling stations across a country to be transmitted to headquarters immediately, allowing a richer picture of an election to emerge in real time 鈥� key to being able to determine quicker if an election is credible. Learn more 禄
By Amy Patterson, assistant director, Malaria Control Program
At the invitation of the Nigerian government, The Carter Center began health program work in Nigeria in 1988. In 2010, the largest long-lasting insecticidal net distribution effort in history to fight malaria was launched in Nigeria, which bears more deaths from this disease than any other country. Learn more 禄
A limited Carter Center mission witnessed the June 16-17 runoff election for Egypt's president, with 90 witnesses from 36 countries deployed to follow polling, counting, and those parts of the tabulation processes to which the Center had access.听 Learn more 禄
In the White House, President Jimmy Carter appointed 57 minority judges and 41 female judges to the federal judiciary, more than all previous presidents combined. But he recognized at the time that, when it came to diversifying judicial appointments, his efforts were 鈥渏ust a beginning.鈥� Learn more 禄
Legendary eradication expert Dr. Donald R. Hopkins听received the prestigious Pumphandle Award June 3 from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), honoring his outstanding contributions to applied epidemiology. Learn more 禄
A chain of 1,000 origami paper cranes, each painstakingly created by members of the Carter Center鈥檚 fall 2011 intern class, was recently hung in the Children鈥檚 Peace Memorial in Hiroshima, Japan, in honor of President and Mrs. Carter. Learn more 禄
Voting began Wednesday in Egypt, where more than 50 million registered voters may choose the first genuinely democratically elected president in the country鈥檚 history. In the Al-Sayeda Zeinab and Al-Sayeda Aisha neighborhoods of Cairo, hundreds of people lined up outside polling stations ahead of poll opening at 8 a.m. Learn more 禄
The Republic of Sudan has won a long-fought battle against river blindness in Abu Hamad, the most isolated focus area in the world. That the government, with help from The Carter Center and partners, has stopped transmission of this debilitating disease in a remote community of more than 100,000 is an inspiring health success for Sudan, for Africa, and for the world. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center鈥檚 work to improve access to mental health care in Liberia is highlighted as one of 14 nonprofit recipients of a new foundation, Focusing Philanthropy, which seeks to connect potential donors across the United States with charities demonstrating strong achievements and excellent fiscal management. Learn more 禄
In view of the pace of change in political events taking place in the Middle East and North Africa, it鈥檚 not surprising that the context of an interview completed on April 6 would already be slightly outdated just weeks later. Learn more 禄
Use becomes more rare as Center, partners make major strides against the disease. The wishbone-like tweezers, folded from pieces of tin cans, look like a charm or pendant, but have a gruesome purpose. Learn more 禄
鈥淔oul Water Fiery Serpent,鈥� a documentary feature film that follows dedicated health workers 鈥� including听 Carter Center staff and national health partners, as well as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter 鈥� engaged in a final battle to eradicate Guinea worm disease in Africa, will air on American Public Television stations nationwide beginning April. Learn more 禄
For health workers in Mexico and Guatemala, the start of the new year meant major change. Thanks to the efforts of the Carter Center-sponsored Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA), the two Latin American countries have interrupted transmission of river blindness (onchocerciasis) nationwide. Learn more 禄
By Paige Rohe, assistant director, Carter Center Communications Department
On a cold December afternoon in 2011, the picture of a smiling teenage girl illuminated the darkened Ivan Allen Pavilion at The Carter Center. Her name was Sarah Crider. More than five years ago, at the age of 14, Sarah died from a preventable complication during treatment at a state-run psychiatric hospital in Atlanta. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director, Carter Center Office of Public Information
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter joined a 40-member Carter Center delegation to witness the third phase of Egypt鈥檚 parliamentary elections Jan. 10-11.听 The delegation, deployed in Egypt since mid-November for the three-phase election, represents 21 countries. 听 Learn more 禄
The Carter Center works in some of the world鈥檚 most remote and impoverished communities. These are areas beyond where the road ends, with no power grid, and limited access to outside markets. Learn more 禄
On Nov. 28, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is holding its second democratic multi-party national elections since gaining independence in 1960, and the first to be administered solely by the country鈥檚 election commission. Elections in 2006 were overseen by the United Nations. Learn more 禄
At The Carter Center, we are thankful for all that has been accomplished over the last year: historic elections in Sudan and Tunisia; the end of Guinea worm disease in Ghana; the first graduating class of mental health workers in Liberia; and so much more. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center and its Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA) are pleased to congratulate three Latin American countries on their recent progress toward eliminating river blindness (onchocerciasis). Learn more 禄
By Max Lockie, Carter Center long-term observer
Carter Center long-term observer Max Lockie is听based in Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.听 The Center established an office in Kinshasa in August and deployed 10 long-term observers to seven听 provinces: Kinshasa, Bas-Congo, Oriental Province, North Kivu, South Kivu, Katanga, and Kasai Oriental. In September, the Center deployed another 10 long-term observers to the remaining provinces.听 Learn more 禄
The Carter Center is partnering with the Consulate General of France in Atlanta and the Georgia Institute of Technology as part of 鈥淔rance-Atlanta 2011,鈥� a series of 15 events being held Oct. 26-Nov. 12, designed to strengthen ties in the fields of science, economics, culture, and humanitarian work. Learn more 禄
By Paige Rohe, assistant director, news and information, of the Carter Center鈥檚 Office of Public Information.
A torrential rain began in Monrovia, Liberia, causing the power to flicker and the Internet to shut down, but Georgia Institute of Technology professor Dr. Ellen Zegura didn鈥檛 let the disruption stop the computer and software training session she was holding with Liberia鈥檚 first class of mental health clinicians. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center.
Deborah Hakes, assistant director of the Carter Center's Office of Public Information, reports from听Liberia, where the Carter Center's international election observation team monitored the country's Oct. 11 elections. Learn more 禄
In London today, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter addressed an audience of international journalists and partners to announce that the Carter Center-led global campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease has entered its final stage to end this gruesome waterborne parasitic infection. Learn more 禄
A group of former leaders and human rights experts serve as a watchdog to threats against democratic stability in the Americas and as a voice to strengthen, promote, and protect democracy and human rights. The group aims to bolster the effectiveness of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, approved on Sept. 11, 2001. Learn more 禄
By Marwa Alkhairo, a Carter Center long-term election observer in northwest Tunisia and Bizerte
Marwa Alkhairo is a Carter Center long-term election observer in northwest Tunisia and Bizerte. "La bas alaik" and "ca va," means "are you well," one phrase said in Arabic, and one in French. These two greetings are indicative of the complexity that one immediately notices upon reaching northwest Tunisia. Learn more 禄
By Paige Rohe, media relations coordinator for The Carter Center.
Torrential rains in Monrovia, Liberia, Friday morning did not deter dozens of family members and friends from arriving at the Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts hours before graduation ceremonies for the nation鈥檚 first mental health clinicians began. No one wanted to miss their loved one become part of their nation鈥檚 history and hope for a better future. Learn more 禄
Misunderstandings and tensions between Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela) and the United States are common, and often reinforced or made worse by charged, politicized reporting in media stories related to these countries. Learn more 禄
With approximately 95 percent of the world鈥檚 remaining Guinea worm cases, South Sudan looks to be the final battleground in the fight to wipe out this debilitating worm worldwide. The Southern Sudan Guinea Worm Eradication Program, together with The Carter Center, has almost 10,000 dedicated local health workers on the ground, working everywhere from the bustling capital of Juba to the most remote villages imaginable. Learn more 禄
Reporter Michael Biesecker's coverage of mental health issues began with a high-speed car chase following a robbery. In the course of Biesecker's investigation, he found that although the driver was in a psychotic state two weeks before the crime, he had been turned away from the state's psychiatric hospital. Learn more 禄
Peace is more than the absence of war. There is an inner peace that comes from personal security and personal freedom. Peace also includes the sense of a mother and father that their children will live, that they鈥檒l have food for them to eat, and that they won鈥檛 be subject to a lifetime of suffering that could have been prevented. Learn more 禄
Planned gifts are an excellent way to ensure that The Carter Center continues to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope far into the future, while also offering financial benefits to donors.听 The new Carter Center planned giving website offers a wealth of information and interactive tools to help potential donors find a plan that fits their goals. Learn more 禄
A mother鈥檚 lullabies and soft caress are common nighttime rituals for children around the world. But throughout Africa, these soothing efforts cannot spare a child the high fevers, wracking chills, nausea, and headache of malaria - potentially fatal disease. Learn more 禄
By Dr. Janice Cooper, Carter Center's project lead for mental health in Liberia
Dr. Janice Cooper, a native Liberian, is the Carter Center鈥檚 project lead for a new mental health initiative that, in partnership with the Liberia Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is helping the nation build a sustainable mental health care system. This spring, Dr. Cooper began training Liberia鈥檚 first cadre of qualified, home-grown mental health clinicians. Learn more 禄
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, human rights activists often face intimidation and threats of violence, a situation expected to worsen as November 2011 national elections approach. Listen to Sophie Borel talk about why the alert system was established. Learn more 禄
Ratna Osman, acting executive director of Malaysia鈥檚 Sisters in Islam, was one of a diverse group of 72 human rights activists and religious scholars from 22 countries to attend the Carter Center鈥檚 human rights defenders forum this week in Atlanta. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter urged religious communities to promote, not hinder, women鈥檚 rights during his opening remarks at the 2011 Human Rights Defenders Forum taking place at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga., April 3-6. The remarks were a follow up to a speech he gave to the Parliament of the World鈥檚 Religions in 2009. Learn more 禄
From April 3-6, human rights leaders and scholars will gather at The Carter Center to discuss the key challenges that women's rights activists face and ways to work with religious, traditional, and government institutions to advance the protection of these rights. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center鈥檚 health programs enabled a record 35.8 million treatments in 2010 to protect against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in thousands of communities in some of the most remote and forgotten places in Africa and the Americas. Learn more 禄
The Andean-U.S. Dialogue Forum, a citizens' forum created to identify and contribute solutions to multilateral problems and tensions among the Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela) and the United States, has issued a report outlining a common agenda to improve cooperation among the nations. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center Awards for Guinea Worm Eradication were presented to Nigeria and Niger during a special ceremony held Feb. 17, 2011, in Atlanta, Ga. The two countries, which share a border, join 14 other nations that have wiped out Guinea worm disease since The Carter Center spearheaded the international eradication campaign in 1986. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Carter Center observers remain deployed across Sudan and in out-of-country voting locations as voting continues in the referendum on the self-determination of Southern Sudan. Here are images from across Juba on days one and two of voting. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
More than 100 Carter Center observers will be deployed across Sudan and in eight out-of-country voting locations to witness voting in the referendum for the self-determination of Southern Sudan, as part of one of the Center鈥檚 largest observation missions. Most observers are currently being briefed in Juba, Sudan. Learn more 禄
The people of South Sudan will vote beginning Jan. 9 to decide whether they wish to remain unified with the North or to form a separate country. Hear more about the significance of the upcoming referendum, the challenges ahead, and the Carter Center's contribution to the process. Learn more 禄
Despite challenges posed by insecurity in Southern Sudan, the region continues to see major reductions in cases of Guinea worm disease. From January to September 2010, only 1,549* cases were identified compared to 2,523 cases over the same period in 2009. Learn more 禄
One-third of people living in onchocerciasis-endemic communities in Latin America are no longer at risk for the debilitating disease also known as river blindness, thanks to the hard work and long-term commitment of six endemic countries鈥攁nd with the support of The Carter Center and other partners鈥攐fficials announced today during the 20th Inter-American Conference on Onchocerciasis (IACO). Learn more 禄
Impoverished communities in Amhara Region, Ethiopia鈥攖he world’s most trachoma-endemic area鈥攁re harnessing an innovative and far-reaching approach to treating and preventing this blinding bacterial infection. Approximately every six months, rotating between the eastern and western halves of Amhara, The Carter Center, in partnership with the Ethiopia Ministry of Health and Lions Clubs International Foundation, mobilizes millions of people in one week. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Outside a polling station in north Abidjan, Cote d鈥橧voire, hundreds of people waited behind closed gates for voting to begin. Women and the elderly sat on chairs they had brought or on the ground. By the time our team of observers arrived at 10 a.m., three hours after polling should have begun, voters were growing anxious in the baking sun. Some had gotten there at 4 or 5 that morning. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center is the only American nongovernmental organization observing the historic presidential elections in Guinea and Cote d鈥橧voire, and among the handful of international observers present, we have been deployed longer and more extensively than anyone else. These elections represent the first openly competitive contests for both nations since the end of French colonial rule a half-century ago. Learn more 禄
By Dr.听Bornemann, director of the Carter Center鈥檚 Mental Health Program
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have posed a unique set of psychological challenges to troops due to multiple tours of duty and a significantly greater prevalence of brain injury, among other factors. As a result, members of the military deployed in these wars have the highest rates of post-traumatic stress disorder on record. Learn more 禄
In Aloshi village in central Nigeria, four-year-old David Nuhu stands quietly as a health worker measures his height against a brightly colored pole. The health worker will use the measuring stick to carefully calculate what dose of Zithromax庐 (donated by Pfizer Inc.) will safely treat the little boy鈥檚 trachoma infection. Learn more 禄
Today, during a special ceremony in Atlanta, former U.S. President and Carter Center Founder Jimmy Carter received on behalf of The Carter Center two new pledges鈥�$500,000 toward the Guinea Worm Eradication Program and $500,000 toward the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA)鈥攆rom the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), represented by His Excellency Director General Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish. Learn more 禄
鈥淭he best way to overcome stigma is to learn that the man who sits in the next office suffers from depression or the neighbor you chat with on summer evenings is battling bipolar disorder. You know them; you鈥檙e not afraid of them鈥ogether we can eliminate stigma and bring a better life. Learn more 禄
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter launched a journalism fellowship program in 1996 to increase accurate reporting of mental health issues as a way to fight stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses鈥攕ome of the most serious, unrecognized, and under-reported health problems in the United States and worldwide. Learn more 禄
Guinea鈥檚 upcoming runoff presidential election between candidates Cellou Dalein Diallo and Alpha Cond茅 is critical to both the country鈥檚 stability and that of the West African region. Recognizing the importance of this electoral process, The Carter Center has maintained its presence in Guinea since May 2010, with long-term observers deployed throughout the country and reporting back to the Center. Learn more 禄
On August 27, American teacher Aijalon Gomes was reunited with his family in Boston after being imprisoned seven months in North Korea. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter had embarked on a humanitarian mission to obtain Gomes鈥� release after he was arrested last January and subsequently sentenced to eight years of hard labor and fined about $600,000. Learn more 禄
After seven months imprisoned in North Korea, American teacher Aijalon Gomes was reunited with his family this afternoon at Boston Logan Airport. The Carter Center delegation's plane landed at 2 p.m. today. President Carter embarked last Tuesday on a humanitarian mission to obtain Gomes release after he was arrested last January and subsequently sentenced. Learn more 禄
By Jane Bigham, assistant program coordinator for the Carter Center鈥檚 Mental Health Program
Many Liberians suffer from trauma, depression, and other mental health issues following more than a decade of civil conflict. With only one psychiatrist in the entire country, and just a handful of nurses with mental health training, treating those who suffer from mental illnesses has been almost impossible. Jane Bigham, assistant program coordinator for the Carter Center鈥檚 Mental Health Program, reflects on her journey and what a new Carter Center mental health initiative will mean for the people of Liberia. Learn more 禄
During a stopover at Atlanta鈥檚 Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, President and Mrs. Carter viewed, for the first time, the exhibit 鈥淛immy Carter: Georgia鈥檚 Native Son.鈥� The Carters met with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and airport officials and enlightened a growing crowd with personal memories and behind the scenes insights. Learn more 禄
A groundbreaking project to identify and foster concensus on common standards for what constitutes a genuinely democratic election is the focus of a recently-published article in Democratization by Carter Center Democracy Program Assistant Director Avery Davis-Roberts and Director David Carroll.听 Learn more 禄
Public Radio International's 鈥淭he World鈥� examines Liberia's struggle with land disputes, as citizens return home after the war to find others living on land they claim as their own, in a听story aired Aug. 3. The story also features the Carter Center鈥檚 John Hummel, who explains the country鈥檚 need for both a modern legal system and tribal justice system. Learn more 禄
The National Traditional Council of Liberia (NTC) recently honored Carter Center efforts in the country at a farewell ceremony for the Center鈥檚 outgoing country representative, John Hummel. Hummel was gowned in traditional clothing as a show of appreciation to him and The Carter Center for 鈥渋ts good will to the Liberian people,鈥� describing him as 鈥渁 son whom they will always miss.鈥� Learn more 禄
The next time you are waiting for a flight at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, visit a president, and get to know 鈥淛immy Carter: Georgia鈥檚 Native Son.鈥� This large exhibit flanks both sides of the corridor between Security and Concourse T and is packed with rare photos, art, and artifacts giving viewers a snapshot of President Carter鈥檚 life as a peanut farmer, a romantic, a politician, a president, a humanitarian, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Learn more 禄
Polls opened Sunday morning in Conakry to pouring rain, from which voters sought relief under trees and building overhangs. This was followed by a baking and relentless sun that lasted all day, as hundreds of people waited in line to vote across Conakry and Guinea. One voter told a Carter Center observer that she was in line for more than eight and a half hours. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Through the open second-story window of a mayor鈥檚 office outside Conakry, Guinea, came the sounds of hundreds of people passing by, some blowing on whistles and shouting for candidates, others riding in or on cars with horns and speakers blaring. Learn more 禄
By Peter Blair, a long-term observer for the Carter Center鈥檚 election observation mission in Guinea
Peter Blair is a long-term observer (LTO) for the Carter Center鈥檚 election observation mission in Guinea.听 Blair graduated with a degree in politics from the University of Nottingham, interned with the Carter Center鈥檚 Conflict Resolution Program, and worked as a media and communications assistant for Oxfam Ireland. Learn more 禄
The Andean-U.S. Dialogue Forum met in Lima, Peru, on June 1-2 to develop a common agenda to address problematic issues among the represented countries. The forum, which consists of influential citizens from a variety of sectors within each country, is designed to provide crucial support and reinforcement of diplomatic efforts through a civil society process. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center's new initiative to help Liberia鈥檚 indigenous leaders manage local disputes was recently featured by Voice of America. The Center鈥檚 efforts follow a 15-county consultation on the rule of law with traditional leaders in 2009, and a request from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Traditional Council for help strengthening the capacity of local leaders. Learn more 禄
Mekuria Amare, a health officer in the North Gondar Zone of Ethiopia, is currently completing his clinical training at Gondar University to become a medical doctor. Mekuria initially received training as a health officer, providing him the opportunity to provide general health care to a rural population. Learn more 禄
By Avery Davis Roberts, assistant director, Carter Center Democracy Program, and Amber Davis, assistant project coordinator, Carter Center Democracy Program
The Carter Center deployed a limited observation mission to observe the use of voting technology to the Philippines鈥� May 10 election as part of its Democratic Election Standards project, which includes听addressing the challenges of observing electronic voting technologies. Learn more 禄
By Kelly Callahan, assistant director of program support for the Carter Center鈥檚 Health Programs
Kelly Callahan, assistant director of program support for the Carter Center鈥檚 Health Programs, blogs from a river blindness-endemic village in western Cameroon, where she is assessing Carter Center and national program efforts to combat the devastating parasitic infection. Learn more 禄
Impact from the Carter Center鈥檚 African Regional Conference on the Right of Access to Information, held in Ghana in February, is still being felt around the African continent as stakeholders work to advance the right and foster communication about remaining challenges. Learn more 禄
More than听140听Ambassadors Circle members听and friends听are gathered at The Carter Center in Atlanta for the 2010 Annual Executive Briefing and Presidential Reception today.听The two-day event, featuring firsthand updates from the Center鈥檚 peace and health experts, kicked off with an opening evening reception April 22 followed by Conversations at The Carter Center, 鈥淚mproving the Lives of Women." Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
In Sudan, people across the country began voting on Sunday. Here are images from the first two days of balloting. This is the 78th election observed by The Carter Center. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director, Communications Department
Sudan鈥檚 historic elections, the country鈥檚 first in 24 years, begin on Sunday and will include nearly one week of voting and counting the ballots.听 The Carter Center deployed approximately 70 observers to Sudan鈥檚 25 states. Campaigning officially ended today, and in Khartoum, election materials were packed up. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center announced today that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Algerian Foreign Minister and member of the Elders Lakhdar Brahimi, Judge Joseph Warioba, and Carter Center President and CEO Dr. John Hardman will lead the Center鈥檚 international election observation delegation to observe Sudan鈥檚 elections, which are scheduled to begin on April 11. Learn more 禄
Recent political events in Cote d鈥橧voire introduced a serious disruption, hopefully temporary, of election preparations and demonstrated how easily the West African country could slide back into conflict. Elections there have been delayed several times; The Carter Center has been the only international election observation group present during the entire process and has deployed teams of observers for different phases. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center is hosting its 2009 health program reviews March 23-31, 2010, with experts from around the world 鈥搃ncluding representatives from partner organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lions Clubs International, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 鈥� gathered in Atlanta to assess program status and adopt recommendations for the coming year. Learn more 禄
A small Carter Center delegation is in China this week to advance the Center鈥檚 programming efforts there. The Center has worked to help standardize the vast array of electoral procedures taking place in local communities and foster better governance for more than a decade, at the invitation of the Chinese government. Learn more 禄
A series of experts, including Carter Center Americas Program Director Jennifer McCoy and former Latin American leaders, will convene on March 15 at Georgia State University (GSU) to analyze recent democratic crises in the region, including the Honduran coup and recent events in Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Learn more 禄
<p>In his new book, 鈥淲ars, Guns, and Votes,鈥� Oxford economist Paul Collier argues that the international community 鈥� presumably including The Carter Center 鈥� focuses too much on holding elections and ignores the underlying problems of insecurity and lack of checks and balances essential for democratic development. Collier will discuss his concerns during a Carter Center Conversation on Wednesday from …</p> Learn more 禄
The Carter Center's annual Winter Weekend auction, held Feb. 27 at Port St. Lucie, Fla., raised $1,322,300 鈥� the second-highest amount raised in the event's history 鈥� to benefit the not-for-profit Center’s initiatives to advance peace and health worldwide. The highest bid items at the fundraiser were two original paintings by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, which sold for $290,000. Learn more 禄
For the past two days at The Carter Center, influential nongovernmental participants from the United States and the five Andean countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia have gathered for a dialogue aimed to strengthen the historically difficult U.S.-Andean relations and cooperation. Learn more 禄
Working with monitors from the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), The Carter Center supports legal advice services in marginalized rural communities through a network of 32 Community Legal Advisors (CLAs) in eight counties. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter met with Sudanese officials to urge peace and stability in the nation as it prepares for its first multi-party elections in 24 years in April, which the Carter Center's international election observation team will monitor. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Central Equatoria State Governor Clement Wani Konga, and Commissioner Clement Maring Samuel today urged intensification of efforts to wipe out Guinea worm disease, a waterborne parasitic infection, in the remote village of Molujore, Terekeka County, Southern Sudan. The village visit was followed by a press conference at the Assembly Hall in Juba, with representatives from Sudan's Ministry. Learn more 禄
On the twentieth anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from a South African prison, Carter Center Vice President for Peace Programs John Stremlau writes for CNN.com that 鈥淢andela must continue to embody the roles for South Africans that Washington, Lincoln, and King serve in protecting and advancing democracy in America. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, are in Sudan鈥攖he world鈥檚 most Guinea worm-endemic country鈥攖o personally appeal for completing eradication of the crippling waterborne parasite as soon as possible and to urge peace and stability in the nation as it prepares for its first multi-party elections in 24 years in April, which the Carter Center鈥檚 international election observation team will monitor. Learn more 禄
The African Regional Conference on the Right of Access to Information began Sunday in Accra, Ghana.听More than 130 participants arrived from 20 African countries as well as Mexico, Canada, India, Australia, and the United States. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center has deep roots in Nigeria, Africa鈥檚 most populous country and one plagued by poisonous politics. Jimmy Carter鈥檚 1978 visit was the first time a U.S. president visited an African state. The Carter Center has worked there since 1988 to eradicate or control neglected diseases like Guinea worm and river blindness. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Carter Center Bolivia Field Office Director Nicol谩s Fern谩ndez Bravo talks about the Center鈥檚 findings on election day and the challenges ahead for Bolivia. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Marcelo Varela, associate director of the Carter Center鈥檚 Americas Program, talks about election day in Bolivia. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Listen to Carter Center observers Daniel Barnes and Angela Lederach talk about the reception they have received so far as election observers in Bolivia. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Watch Barnes and Lederach as they talk about the day's activities and their preparation for election day. Carter Center observers Daniel Barnes and Angela Lederach deployed this morning to Cochabamba, a city that has …</p> Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
In La Paz, Bolivia, colorful election graffiti and signs may be found on most available spaces along the winding road that leads upward to the city of El Alto. President Evo Morales, Bolivia鈥檚 first indigenous president, enjoys overwhelming popularity in La Paz. He is running for a second term in office, courtesy of an article in the country鈥檚 new constitution approved by referendum in January that allows him to seek re-election. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Today, on the last official day of campaigning before Sunday鈥檚 elections, rallies were held throughout Bolivia.听 Drummers and dancers (video), joining thousands of supporters (photos, below), show their enthusiastic support during a large rally in El Alto for Evo Morales. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Watch a brief video of Carter Center long-term observers talking about their work in Bolivia and the country’s new biometric voter registration process. Learn more 禄
Join the Carter Center's Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information, on the ground in Bolivia, as she blogs daily through Dec. 7 about the presidential and legislative elections, their importance for the Latin American country, and the Carter Center's role in the process. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
A multinational Carter Center delegation observed Lebanon鈥檚 June 7 parliamentary elections, monitoring polling sites throughout the country鈥檚 25 qadas (districts). Led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Yemini Prime Minister Abdulkareem Al-Eryani, the 60 member delegation included elected officials, electoral and human rights experts, regional specialists, and political and civic leaders from more than 20 countries in North America, Africa, Europe, South America, Asia, and the Middle East. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits Syria, Israel, West Bank, and Gaza. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Deborah Hakes is assistant director of public information for The Carter Center. For the past week and a half (and for weeks before I arrived), the Carter Center office for the elections was a scene of constant intense activity at all hours of a day. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
I鈥檝e been sharing my experiences with you from Lebanon for the past week and thought it was also important to share a few of the many other voices whose hard work made the election observation mission possible. Learn more 禄
Things are wrapping up here for this phase of the Carter Center鈥檚 election observation mission to Lebanon. Our long-term observers will remain deployed to monitor the post-election processes. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
The long lines surprised all of us. They wound down stairs and through the hallways of elementary schools, municipal buildings, and other polling sites where we visited. It made walking from polling station to polling station a very crowded affair. The voters seemed in good spirits though, often cheering and yelling 鈥淛immy Carter!鈥� when they realized just which international observers were there. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
It is the eve of Lebanon鈥檚 parliamentary elections and things seem quiet. Our observers were deployed yesterday, and they continue regular check-in calls to let us know that they are safe. Meanwhile, the core staff in Beirut are finalizing preparations for tomorrow 鈥� election day Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Today, I headed south to Lebanon鈥檚 border with Hrair Balian, the director of the Conflict Resolution Program at The Carter Center, to be briefed by the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and to see what the pre-election environment was like there. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
Across Lebanon today, more than 11,000 polling station workers could cast their ballots early for the parliamentary elections. I traveled to Baabda, a town in the mountains southeast of Beirut, to watch the process. Baabda has six seats being contested in these elections, and per Lebanon鈥檚 complicated distribution of parliamentary seats by religion, three will be filled by Maronite Christians, two by Shia Muslims, and one by a Druze. Learn more 禄
By Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information for The Carter Center
I鈥檝e only been in Beirut, Lebanon, for 24 hours, but I can already tell that the parliamentary elections to be held this coming Sunday are going to be a fascinating process, and I am thrilled to be a part of it. The world is watching what happens here, and I will get to see it firsthand. I鈥檒l do my best to share what I see with you. Learn more 禄
Hrair Balian, director, Conflict Resolution Program, joined The Carter Center in 2008. Balian oversees the program鈥檚 efforts to monitor conflicts around the world and coordinates the Center鈥檚 cross-program efforts in the Middle East. He is also an adjunct professor at the Emory University Law School, teaching an advanced international negotiations seminar. Learn more 禄
In light of the recent passage of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, Mrs. Carter sat down to discuss what has changed since she began her advocacy work and what still can be done for people living with mental illnesses. Learn more 禄
With help from the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, journalists on four continents are working to reduce stigma and raise awareness about mental health and mental illnesses in their communities. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center and the African Union (AU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on July 29, 2008, at the AU Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The MOU will enable the Center to work closely with the AU in areas such as election monitoring, human rights, and strengthening democracies. Learn more 禄
The constituent assembly election is a central feature of Nepal鈥檚 ongoing peace process and was agreed to by all parties in the Nov. 21, 2006, Comprehensive Peace Accord. The elections will create a representative body charged with drafting a new constitution for Nepal and give the people of Nepal their first opportunity to speak out and express their views on the future direction of the country. Learn more 禄
What struck me most about the country is not how the people have changed:听 it is how the government has changed because of people.听 The government seems to be more keenly aware of the people鈥檚 needs, of the growing gap between the rich and the poor, of the international pressure on China to change its policies on issues such as environmental pollution, global warming, energy saving, and of its own source of legitimacy. Learn more 禄
Access to information is a fundamental right. Allowing people to seek and receive public documents serves as a critical tool for fighting corruption, enabling citizens to more fully participate in public life, making governments more efficient, encouraging investment, and helping persons exercise their fundamental human rights. For this reason, The Carter Center is actively involved with governments and civil society. Learn more 禄
In this interview, Dr. Thom Bornemann, director of the Carter Center Mental Health Program, discusses the importance of early screening and intervention, and the current challenges to mental health prevention efforts. Learn more 禄
The Carter Center, since 2003, has warned of the dangers that autocratic leaders would take advantage of the 鈥渨ar on terror鈥� to suppress legitimate political opposition and basic human rights. What General Musharraf has done is to try to wipe away the results of decades of effort by human rights and judicial leaders to restrain the powers of executive authority in Pakistan, which for half of the country鈥檚 history has been in the hands of the military. Learn more 禄
In the following Q&A, panel members from 鈥淭wo Palestines? What is Risked by a 鈥榃est Bank First鈥� Policy?鈥� held at The Carter Center in July 2007, answer audience questions that remained following the event. Learn more 禄
In this Q&A,听Dr. Shelley McConnell, senior associate director of the Carter Center鈥檚听Americas Program, discusses the groundbreaking media mapping project: its impetus, implementation, and hoped-for impact on democratization in the Americas. Learn more 禄
A new Human Rights Council for the United Nations was adopted March 15 by the U.N. General Assembly, replacing the Commission on Human Rights, originally established in 1946. In this Q&A, Karin Ryan, senior advisor, Human Rights Program, discusses the Center鈥檚 key role in the Council鈥檚 passage and what the Council means for global human rights. The new Council plans to elect its first 47 members May 9 and hold its first meeting June 19, after the Commission is disbanded June 16. Learn more 禄
Former President Jimmy Carter will lead a team of 80 observers today in monitoring legislative elections in the Palestinian territories. The team hopes to provide 鈥渁n impartial and accurate report鈥� on elections that are as significant as they are controversial. One development that has raised eyebrows in the West: the political participation of Hamas, a group the United States considers a terrorist organization. Learn more 禄
Although election observation has existed for many decades, the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s triggered a dramatic expansion in the number of election observation missions. Hear from Carter Center's David Carroll who听manages the Democracy Program's projects on election observation, civil society strengthening, and promotion of the rule of law. Learn more 禄
Governments have had a difficult time addressing the needs of the people, particularly low-income and marginalized peoples. As a result, satisfaction with democratic performance is eroding, even while support for the principles of democracy remains strong. High crime rates, poor public services, corruption, and chronic unemployment have made the promises of strongmen and populist candidates attractive to many voters. Learn more 禄
In this Q&A, the Carter Center鈥檚 Laura Neuman, senior program associate, Americas Program, shares her insights. Access to information is one of the keys to democracy. Allowing people to seek and receive public documents serves as a critical tool for fighting corruption, enabling citizens to more fully participate in public life, making governments more efficient, encouraging investment, and helping persons exercise their fundamental human rights. Learn more 禄
At the conclusion of the Carter Center鈥檚 work to help resolve Venezuela鈥檚 political crisis, Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the Center鈥檚 Americas Program, traveled to Caracas Feb. 24, 2005, to present the Center鈥檚 final report on the presidential referendum process. Before leaving, she and former Carter Center Caracas Representative Francisco Diez talked about the Center鈥檚 work there for the past two and a half years and the future of Venezuela. Learn more 禄
A Q&A with听Dr. David Carroll, interim director of the听Democracy Program, and Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the听Americas Program on the 2004 U.S. Elections. Learn more 禄
Larry Fricks, a director in Georgia鈥檚 department of mental health, introduced an exciting new and successful concept in mental illness recovery at the听Nineteenth Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, Nov. 5-6, 2003. Learn more 禄
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court came into force July 1, 2002, some 50 years after the United Nations first called for the establishment of a world tribunal. The Carter Center and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter have been strong advocates for the ICC. Learn more 禄
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter made history in May 2002 as the first United States president, former or sitting, to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959.听Among those accompanying him on The Carter Center delegation was Dr. Jennifer McCoy (pictured at left with Cuban healthcare workers), director of the Americas Program at The Carter Center and associate professor of political science at Georgia State University. A special trip de-briefing with Dr. McCoy follows. Learn more 禄
The following is an excerpt and translation from the Cuban Newspaper, Granma. President Carter鈥檚 comments are a direct transcription from a videotape of his speech to faculty and students at the University of Havana, Cuba, on May 14, 2002. Where President Carter鈥檚 comments were inaudible, a translation of the interpreter鈥檚 translation was substituted. Therefore, it is important to note that this re-translation may result in some variation from what President Carter actually said. Learn more 禄
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