Building a peaceful world involves more than ending war. A peaceful world is one in which justice thrives, everyone’s rights are respected, and people have access to essentials. The Carter Center has dozens of programs and projects dedicated to making the dream of peace a reality. This slide show explores a handful of them.
Election Observation:听听The Carter Center听has听monitored听107 elections in 39 countries. Here, a woman in Tunisia votes in the first truly democratic presidential election since its long-term dictator was forced from office during the Arab Spring. The Center continues to work in Tunisia, offering support to the government and civil society听in听this new democracy.听(All photos: The Carter Center)
Preventing Violent Extremism:听 The听Center听analyzes听the听recruiting propaganda of Daesh (also known as Isis)听and trains听religious and community leaders to create their own messages to inoculate youth from the lure of听violent extremism and to devise ways to prevent the spread of听Islamophobia.听Workshops have been held听for leaders from Morocco, Tunisia, the United States, Belgium, and France, home to the imam in this photo.听
Access to Information for Women:听 Carter Center studies听in Guatemala, Liberia, and Bangladesh found that women have a harder time accessing public information than men do.听The听Center听partners听with local organizations to build awareness and听employs听information liaisons听who听meet women where they live to help them file and follow up on information requests to the government. The goal is to help women like this mother in the department of El Quiche create a better life for herself and her children.
Human Rights:听 Human rights lie at the core of everything The Carter Center does. In West Africa, we鈥檝e partnered with听Tostan听to train community leaders to launch their own human rights efforts where they live and work.听Asmau听Ayub, a听counselor听at the听Ghana Lebanon Islamic Secondary School听in Accra, Ghana, went through the training and now works with children and young girls to make sure they know their rights.听
Building Democracy in the Americas:听 Based at The Carter Center,听the听Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter听is听a group of former presidents, prime ministers, and cabinet officials from across the region听who听discuss pressing issues and embark on missions of quiet diplomacy to try to help ease tensions and discourage democratic backsliding听in the hemisphere.听
Monitoring Peace in Mali: In late 2017, The Carter Center was named the Independent Observer of the implementation of Mali鈥檚 2015 Peace Agreement, the first time a nongovernmental organization has been asked to take on such a role. A team has spent the last year on the ground, speaking with key stakeholders to determine progress, identify obstacles, and issue recommendations about how to move forward. Here, the Center鈥檚 special advisor on Mali, Ambassador (ret.) Bisa Williams, meets with combatants who are signatories of the peace agreement.
Promoting Good Relations with China: 听The U.S. and China are two of the world鈥檚 superpowers, and the relationship between them is听often fraught with tension. The听Carter听Center听organizes forums to听foster greater听understanding听and cooperation听between the two countries on issues of great importance. Recently,听officials from听the U.S., China, and Africa convened to听assess how听they听might work together to create positive change in Africa.
Access to Justice:听听Liberia鈥檚 justice system 鈥� like much of the rest of the country 鈥� lay in tatters at the end of its 14-year civil war. The Carter Center has worked to help rebuild that听system听to ensure听that justice is available to all, not just those who can afford it. The Center partnered with the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission to hire and train more than 50 community justice advisors, who travel the country to tell people about their rights under the law and offer free mediation services as an alternative to the courts.
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