Chile

La Vicaría was founded in 1976 by Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez to provide legal assistance to political prisoners and welfare assistance to families of victims of human rights abuses in Chile. President Carter and the late Dominique de Menil established the $100,000 prize to promote the protection of human rights.

Between April 1997 and March 1998, 28 current and 14 former heads of government signed a written pledge to accept a moratorium of two years on purchasing sophisticated weapons systems. Among the signatories was former Chile President Patricio Aylwin Azócar.

Carter Center representatives met with leaders in Chile as part of a fact-finding tour, to prepare for the consultation "Agenda for the Americas for the 21st Century." The delegation included former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Rosalynn Carter; Dr. Robert Pastor, then-director of the Center's Americas Program; and Dr. Jennifer McCoy of the Americas Program.

To support a healthy relationship between governments, the media, and journalists, as well as to promote policies and practices to strengthen freedom of expression, democratic governance, and the prevention and escalation of socio-political conflicts, The Carter Center held a series of discussions in countries across the Latin American region from January 2013 to November 2014.  

The goal of the discussions was to enhance compliance with the essential elements of a representative democracy, the defense and practice of human rights, and a better understanding of the values and principles of the American Convention of Human Rights, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Learn more about the Center's Latin America and Caribbean Program >