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| Founded | April 6, 1982; 43 years ago (1982-04-06)[1] |
|---|---|
| Founders | Jimmy Carter Rosalynn Carter[1] |
| Type | Not-for-profit,non-governmental organization (IRSexemption status):501(c)(3)[1] |
| 58-1454716 | |
| Focus | Human rights,Conflict resolution,Election monitoring,Public health,Eradication of infectious diseases,Mental health |
| Location | |
Area served | Global (75 countries since 1982)[3] |
| Method | Popular education,Access to information, Aid distribution |
Key people |
|
| Employees | 175; field office staff in more than a dozen countries[1] |
| Website | cartercenter.org |
| Partnered withEmory University | |
TheCarter Center is anongovernmental,nonprofit organization founded in 1982 by formerU.S. presidentJimmy Carter. He and his wifeRosalynn Carter partnered withEmory University after his defeat in the1980 United States presidential election. The center is located in a shared building adjacent to theJimmy Carter Library and Museum on 37 acres (150,000 m2) of parkland, on the site of the razedneighborhood ofCopenhill, two miles (3 km) from downtownAtlanta, Georgia. The library and museum are owned and operated by theUnited States National Archives and Records Administration, while the center is governed by a Board of Trustees, consisting of business leaders, educators, former government officials, andphilanthropists.
The Carter Center's goal is toadvance human rights and alleviate humansuffering.[4] The center has projects across 80 countries[5] includingelection monitoring, democratic institution-building, conflict mediation, andhuman rights advocacy. It also leads efforts to treatneglected tropical diseases, spearheading the campaign to eradicatedracunculiasis, as well as treatingonchocerciasis,trachoma,lymphatic filariasis, andmalaria.
In 2002, Jimmy Carter received theNobel Peace Prize for his work "to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development" through the Carter Center.[6] In 2007, he wrote an autobiography entitledBeyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope, which chronicles the first 25 years of The Carter Center.
The center was founded in 1982[7] and dedicated in 1986 withWilliam Foege as its executive director.[8]
In 1993, John Hardman was appointed executive director, and during the 1990s the center received several multimillion-dollar donations to fight Guinea worm disease and to prevent blindness.[9]
In 1994, the center launched an initiative called "Not Even One" to fight child death by firearm.[10] They decided to expand the program on March 25, 1997, effective April 1 of the same year.[11]
On October 2, 1995, The Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum was held at The Carter Center.[12]
The center is governed by a board of trustees, which oversees the organization's assets and property and promotes its objectives and goals.[13][14] In November 2015,Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, became Chair of the board of trustees.[15]
A community advisory group – the Board of Councilors – includes public and private-sector leaders who support The Carter Center and its activities in their communities and organizations. Members attend quarterly presentations on the center's work.[16]
The CEO of The Carter Center is Paige Alexander, appointed on June 16, 2020.[17][18] Her predecessor was (Ret.) AmbassadorMary Ann Peters[19] who had served in the position since 2014.[1]
Center-based councils of eminent persons who offer guidance to or participate in center activities include: the Council of Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Americas,[20] the International Task Force for Disease Eradication,[21] and the Mental Health Task Force.[22] The Carter Center also collaborates with other public and private organizations.
The Carter Center performselection monitoring, sending teams of observers to determine the legitimacy of 115 elections[23] in 40 countries since 1989.[24] Scholars of election monitoring consider the Carter Center to be a "high-quality" election monitor.[25] The Carter Center played an important role in theDeclaration of Principles for International Election Observers, which codifies rules of best practices for election monitors.[25]
Carter Center observers analyze election laws, assess voter education and registration processes, and evaluate fairness in campaigns. The presence of impartial election observers deters interference or fraud in the voting process, and reassures voters that they can safely and secretly cast their ballots and that vote tabulation will be conducted without tampering.[26]
Teams typically include 30–100 highly qualified impartial observers – regional leaders, political scientists, regional specialists, and election observation professionals.[citation needed]
The Carter Center sends observers only when invited by a country's electoral authorities and welcomed by the major political parties. Observers do not interfere in the electoral process and do not represent theU.S. government.[27]
The center's endorsement of the electoral process in the2004 Venezuelan recall referendum has been disputed by theCenter for Security Policy.[28] Fox News'Doug Schoen toldMichael Barone ofU.S. News & World Report, "Our internal sourcing tells us that there was fraud in the Venezuelan central commission.[29] The Carter Center looked into the allegations and released a paper and statistical analysis reaffirming their original conclusions.[30]
The center played a key role – with theU.N. Electoral Assistance Division and theNational Democratic Institute – in building consensus on a common set of international principles for election observation.[31] It is also leading the effort to develop effective methodologies for observing elections that employ new electronic voting technologies.[32]
In the 2020 US election, the Carter Center observed parts of the process at home for the first time in the history of the United States. In this context, the center conducted information campaigns in advance to strengthen confidence in the election process.[33] On November 13, 2020, the center announced that it would monitor the hand recount in Georgia to "help bolster transparency and confidence in election results.[34][35]
The Carter Center supports the growth ofdemocratic institutions to ensure that there is a respect for rule of law andhuman rights, that government decisions are open and transparent, and that everyone can have adequate resources to compete fairly for public office.[citation needed]
For example, the center is supporting the efforts of civic leaders inEthiopia to convene discussions about the most pressing and contentious political and social issues facing the country, and in thePalestinian Territories, it maintains a small presence inRamallah focused on the ongoing monitoring and analysis of critical issues of democratic development.[36]
Democratic initiatives inLatin America include support for regional access-to-information programs, creation of an inter-American support network, and reform of political campaign financing. The center-based Council of Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Americas plays an important role in accomplishing these objectives.[37]
The Carter Center also promotes the dissemination to emerging democracies and regional organizations of models, lessons, and best practices for democratic governance. The goal is to empower those in transitioning countries who are trying to build stronger democratic institutions and practices.[citation needed]
The Carter Center believes all people are entitled to basichuman rights. These rights include political rights, such as peace, freedom, and self-governance, as well as the social rights of health care, food, shelter, and economic opportunity.[citation needed]
The center actively supportshuman rights defenders around the world. In partnership withHuman Rights First and theU.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Center holds an annual human rights defenders policy forum hosted byPresident Carter inAtlanta.[38]
President andMrs. Carter have intervened with heads of state on behalf ofhuman rights defenders and victims for more than 20 years. They often take their human rights concerns to heads of state in personal meetings and through letters.[citation needed]
The center and President Carter are strong supporters of theU.N. Human Rights Council and theInternational Criminal Court.[39] Both oppose thedeath penalty and urge its abolition in the U.S.[40][41]
Recalling President Carter's success in the White House negotiating the long-lasting peace treaty between Israel and Egypt,[42] groups in conflict turn to The Carter Center to help them prevent and resolve conflict. Lacking any official authority, the center has become a trusted broker for peace, serving as a channel for dialogue and negotiation.[citation needed]
Recent examples include:
Since 1988, theChinese government has authorized directvillage elections to help maintain social and political order in the context of rapid economic reforms. At the invitation of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Carter Center initiated a joint project in 1998 to standardize Chinese village election procedures and assist in training of election officials and electedNational People's Congress deputies. In 2011, the Carter Center decided to focus on advancing the US- China relationship, and since 2015 has been promoting greater Africa-U.S.-China cooperation.[51][52]
The center has prevented the suffering of millions of people around the world from illnesses often ignored by others. Health programs seek to provide people with the information and access to services they need to treat their illnesses and take steps to prevent future spread ofdisease. An emphasis is placed on building partnerships for change among international agencies,governments,nongovernmental organizations, andcorporations and on working with ministries of health to strengthen or establish permanenthealth care delivery systems in the poorest nations.[citation needed]
During his acceptance speech for theNobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter commented on what he felt is the greatest challenge the world faces:[citation needed]
"Among all the possible choices, I decided that the most serious and universal problem is the growing chasm between the richest and poorest people on earth. Citizens of the ten wealthiest countries are now 75 times richer than those who live in the ten poorest ones, and the separation is increasing every year, not only between nations but also within them. The results of this disparity are root causes of most of the world's unresolved problems, including starvation, illiteracy, environmental degradation, violent conflict and unnecessary illnesses that range from Guinea worm to HIV/AIDS. Tragically, in the industrialized world there is a terrible absence of understanding or concern about those who are enduring lives of despair and hopelessness. We have not yet made the commitment to share with others an appreciable part of our excessive wealth. This is a necessary and potentially rewarding burden that we should all be willing to assume."[53][54]
The Carter Center began spearheading the campaign to eradicateGuinea worm disease worldwide in 1986. At the time, there were about 3.5 million annual cases of the disease in 20 countries inAfrica andAsia. In 2023, there were 14 reported cases of Guinea worm disease, which remained endemic in five countries: Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, and South Sudan.[55] Guinea worm disease is poised to be the firstparasitic disease to be eradicated and the only disease to be eradicated without the use ofvaccines or drugs.[56]
Within affected countries, the center reinforces existingdisease eradication programs by providing technical and financial assistance, as well as logistics and tools, such as donated filter cloth material,larvicide, and medical kits.[57]
The International Task Force for Disease Eradication has been based at The Carter Center since its formation in 1988. The group has reviewed more than 100 infectious diseases and identified six as potentially eradicable –dracunculiasis,poliomyelitis,mumps,rubella,lymphatic filariasis, andcysticercosis.[58]
Since 1996, the center has been a leader in the fight againstonchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness – aparasitic disease transmitted by the bites of black flies.[59]
The center currently works to stop the spread of the disease in six countries: Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda, and Venezuela, helping residents and local health workers institute and sustain drug treatment programs and health education activities.[60] The center contributed to the efforts that successfully eliminated river blindness transmission in Columbia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico.[61]
The center has helped to distribute more than 500 million doses ofMectizan (ivermectin)[60] – a drug donated by Merck & Co., Inc., that treats and prevents river blindness.[62]
Center health workers also prevent transmission oftrachoma – a bacterial infection that is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Trachoma is prevalent in places that lack the tools for basic hygiene, clean water, and adequate sanitation.[63]
The Center follows theWorld Health Organization's four-pronged approach – called the SAFE strategy – to fight trachoma in six African countries.[64] The Trachoma Control Program is working to improve sanitation in those communities by buildinglatrines, providing corrective surgery, distributingantibiotics, and educating communities on basic hygiene.[65]
As of March 2010[update], The Carter Center has helped to build more than one million latrines in its effort to fight trachoma.[66]
The latrines contain human waste, preventing it from serving as a breeding ground for the disease-carrying flies, thereby reducing one way the disease is spread.[67]
Lymphatic filariasis andmalaria are mosquito-borne diseases also targeted by The Carter Center. The center has distributed four million long-lastinginsecticidal bed nets.[66] It has also established drug distribution systems inNigeria to treat and stem the spread of lymphatic filariasis andschistosomiasis.[68]
The Carter Center believes in building networks of village-based health care workers to treat people for various diseases at the same time. Emphasis is on helping national and local governments establish programs that they can sustain into the future.[citation needed]
Since 1997, the center established with theEthiopian ministries of health and education the Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative to improve academic training for health care personnel inEthiopia and increase access tohealth care in rural communities throughout the country.[citation needed]
In partnership with the Sasakawa Africa Association, the center has worked since 1986 in 15sub-Saharan African countries to teach 8–10 million small-scale farmers improved techniques that double or triple their crop yields.[69]
The program promotes use offertilizers andcrop protection chemicals,soil fertility, and environmentally friendly agronomic methods of crop production. It also supports efforts to construct quality grain storage to sustain market prices for the farmer and ensure greaterfood security, establish farmers' associations, and use quality food crops such as high-proteinmaize.[citation needed]
Rosalynn Carter led the center's efforts to fight stigma associated withmental illness. The center works to spread awareness about mental health issues, increase equity inmental health care, shape public policy, and advocate for the rights of people with mental illnesses.[70]
In its Global Behavioral Health Initiative, the center partnered with the Liberian Ministries of Health and Education to create a program to train mental health clinicians to serve in communities within Liberia.[71] Over 300 Liberians have completed the training to become credentialed mental health clinicians, and 140 of these clinicians specialize in child and adolescent care.[72] The initiative has also explored the linkages between mental health and other global health issues, such as looking into the impact of mental health support on people with neglected tropical diseases.[73]
The Carter Center works to inform public policy in Georgia to make behavioral health services accessible by helping implement and enforce parity laws, expanding school-based behavioral health services for youth, and increasing the availability of care for older adults with mental illness.[74] In 2022, the Georgia General Assembly passed the Mental Health Parity Act in a unanimous vote, ensuring that insurance plans cover behavioral health equally to physical health.[75]
Through the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, the center supports and trains journalists from around the world to increase reporting on behavioral health issues and reduce discrimination against people with mental illnesses.[76] To date, more than 250 journalists have participated in the program.[77]
Building on its journalism fellowship program, the center launched its Mental Health Parity Newsroom Collaborative in 2022, to investigate coverage of mental health care and reduce inequities in the U.S.[78] In 2024, the cohort included more than 40 reporters and editors from over 15 news outlets.[79]
For the past 32 years, the center has held an annual symposium on mental health policy with national leaders inmental health and other fields.[80]
Jimmy Carter received theNobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work through the Carter Center.[6] The Carter Center received the inaugural Delta Prize for Global Understanding in 1999—an award administered by theUniversity of Georgia.[81]
In 2006, theBill & Melinda Gates Foundation presented the Carter Center with the Gates Award for Global Health.[82]
The center was awardedHamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services for 2013–14.[83]
Since 1992, the Carter Center has organized an annual weekend.[vague] In 2019, for the first time, part of the event program was opened to the media, a discussion on human rights.[84] An important part of the event is an auction that raised $1.6 million in 2013[85] and $4 million in 2018.[84]
In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the Carter Center received $380 million, including "cash, pledges, and in-kind gifts"[86] with 71% of revenue coming from corporations.[87]
In 2007,Alan Dershowitz, an American attorney, alleged on a pro-Israel website that the center's focus "is away from significant Arab abuses and onIsrael's far less serious ones" and that this is influenced by the center's receipt of donations fromArab sources.[88] One of the initial contributors to the center wasBank of Commerce and Credit International founderAgha Hasan Abedi, who donated $500,000. Abedi and BCCI also donated $8 million to Carter's Global 2000 project.[89]
According to the center, which discloses all donations over $1,000, 2.5 percent of the total amount of contributions it has received since its founding in 1982 thru 2016 were from donors inMiddle East Arab nations.[90]
Of the donations from the Middle East, the center stated that:
"83% of those funds have helped to support health programs inAfrica, 9.8% have gone to the center's endowment, 2.7% were for original construction of buildings at our headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and 4.5% for projects to directly promote peace, such as specific election observations."[90]
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