GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA…Carter Center representatives observed the second round of national elections in Guatemala on Dec. 28, 2003, in the departments of El Quiché, San Marcos, Totonicapán, Huehuetenango, and Suchitepéquez. The Center congratulates president-elect Oscar Berger and expresses the hope that his government will prioritize full implementation of the 1996 Peace Accords, particularly strengthening the rule of law within the framework of fundamental human rights. Learn more »
LA PAZ, BOLIVIA….I thank President Carlos Mesa, the Bolivian Congress, and the people of Bolivia for the opportunity to visit and hear your views. Bolivia now has a unique opportunity to reach a new consensus through informed debate on the rules of your democracy. Learn more »
ATLANTA….The Carter Center called on electoral authorities in Guatemala to ensure voters who recently updated their registration will be able to cast their ballots and on the authorities and political parties to provide a secure and impartial environment for the second round of elections, according to the Center's second statement on the Guatemalan electoral process released today. Learn more »
Georgetown, Guyana…..Six Guyanese not-for-profit organizations from three regions will compete in the finals of a contest to present the best paper advocating a solution to a public policy issue. The contest is an activity funded under United States Agency for International Development's Democracy and Governance Program and implemented by The Carter Center in Guyana. Learn more »
Now that the signature collection process for the recall referenda has been concluded, the joint mission of the Organization of American States and The Carter Center wishes to express its gratitude for the warm welcome it has received and for the confidence placed in its observers by the Venezuelan people, and for the collaboration of the governmental and electoral authorities, the representatives of the various political and civil society organizations, and the members of the armed forces. Learn more »
CARACAS, VENEZUELA…In light of the invitation extended by the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Organization of American States and The Carter Center have had the privilege of observing the first phase of the signature collection process for the recall referenda. Learn more »
MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE…Mozambique's second municipal elections were generally well conducted and peaceful. The National Election Commission (CNE), the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE), and local polling staff are to be congratulated for the conduct of all aspects of the polling process on election day. Learn more »
ATLANTA....The Carter Center today announced it will escalate the fight to eliminate river blindness disease from the Americas in this decade with a $10 million challenge grant provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Learn more »
The Carter Center and the Crisis Management Initiative Will Not Assess Elections in Northern Cyprus but Emphasize Importance of an Election Free of Manipulation Learn more »
The Organization of American States (OAS) and The Carter Center will observe the two scheduled collections of recall signatures in Venezuela, from Nov. 21-24 and Nov. 28-Dec. 1. Learn more »
ATLANTA….Mozambicans will go to the polls Wednesday to select leaders in their country's second multiparty municipal elections. I urge all candidates and their supporters to maintain the generally peaceful atmosphere of the campaigns during election day and the vote counting process. The Carter Center, invited by the National Election Commission, has deployed 15 observers from 12 countries throughout Mozambique, and they will join the many domestic observers already in place. The Center has observed the dedication and preparation of the electoral authorities, and all eligible voters should cast their ballots freely with confidence that the international community is watching this process with interest. Learn more »
ATLANTA...At a conference co-sponsored by The Carter Center and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, representatives from 43 nations assembled to discuss key challenges that adversely affect their work as human rights activists. This was an assembly of human rights defenders, many of whom have been tortured, imprisoned, and otherwise abused by their own governments because they have attempted to defend freedom and justice. Learn more »
ATLANTA….Governments must repeal urgently all counterterrorism and emergency legislation that infringes upon the work of human rights defenders, concluded prominent human rights defenders gathered at The Carter Center today to address the troubling backsliding on human rights since the beginning of the war on terrorism. Learn more »
The Carter Center supports the authority of the National Electoral Council Learn more »
ATLANTA…Guatemalans will go to the polls Sunday to select their next president, members of the legislature, and municipal authorities. They do so amid concerns about personal security that have a long history and have been rekindled in some areas of the country in recent weeks. To fulfill its obligation to guarantee the security of its citizens, the government of Guatemala has deployed police and the armed forces, as is practiced in many other Latin American countries during elections. It is incumbent upon these security forces to fulfill their duties with respect for the rights of all voters and to remain attentive to the sensitivities of certain communities still engaged in the painful process of reconciliation. I urge all eligible voters to go to the polls and cast their ballots freely with confidence that the international community is following this process with interest and that both international and Guatemalan election monitors will be active throughout the country. Learn more »
The Philippines has arrested and tortured people allegedly connected to the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. Uzbekistan convicted more than 100 people in the months following the terrorist attacks for alleged crimes related to religious worship. Eritrea jailed journalists after accusing them of having terrorist ties, and all independent press outlets were closed in September 2001. And Colombian President Alvaro Uribe recently called human rights organizations "politickers at the service of terrorism" and defended expansive police powers granted to public security forces, arbitrary detentions, and raids of civil society organizations. Learn more »
GUATEMALA CITY…A Carter Center election observation team, including four international observers, a human rights expert, and a campaign finance expert, established an office in Guatemala on Oct. 21, 2003, to begin monitoring the Nov. 9 presidential, congressional, and municipal electoral process. The goal of the Center's project in Guatemala is to highlight human rights and political finance issues as they relate both to the elections and to sustainable peace through justice and national reconciliation. The Center will continue to monitor the electoral process until December or January, depending upon whether there is a second round of balloting, and will publish periodic public statements detailing our observers' findings. During the week of Oct. 27-31, two Carter Center observation teams visited the Department of El Quiché and a number of communities in Alta and Baja Verapaz, meeting with Guatemalan and international election observers, local civil society groups, representatives of political parties and government agencies, and community members. This is the first summary report of Carter Center observers' findings regarding the Guatemalan electoral environment. Learn more »
ATLANTA…Guatemala's campaign finance system is one of the least regulated in the Western Hemisphere, and concern is rising among citizens that donor anonymity opens the door to illicit funding that may include drug money, according to a Carter Center report released today. Learn more »
ATLANTA….The Carter Center opened an office this week in Maputo to begin assessing the Nov. 19 municipal elections in Mozambique, a part of a larger electoral assistance project leading up to observation of the 2004 national elections. Learn more »
ATLANTA....Forty-three-year-old Tom Lane's story illustrates what's wrong with America's access to mental health services. Not long ago, he was coping with severe depression and bipolar disorder in northern California. Medical bills amounted to more than $40,000. Unable to get any mental health insurance and living in total isolation, he was desperate and nearly succeeded at suicide. He managed to find help just in time. Today, he is a successful and experienced professional serving as the director of consumer affairs with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Learn more »
ATLANTA….U.N. Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan and U.N. Special Representative to the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders Hina Jilani will join former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for a conference Nov. 11-12 at The Carter Center on the troubling backsliding on human rights since the beginning of the war on terrorism. Learn more »
WASHINGTON...."How can we heal our planet and achieve an Earth that nurtures humanity and nature in all their diversity?" asks former president Jimmy Carter in his introduction to a new book from National Geographic that takes a sweeping look at the human condition, the state of the world's health and the challenges facing us in the 21st century. Learn more »
GUATEMALA CITY…. The Carter Center opened an office this week in Guatemala City to begin monitoring the national electoral process, with special emphasis on human rights and campaign finance. These issues are critical to equal participation in a democracy. Learn more »
ATLANTA...The weeks of protests, marches, and violence have taken a heavy toll on the people of Bolivia. The loss of lives in El Alto and elsewhere will remain just one of the many sad reminders of this period in Bolivia's history. Learn more »
ATLANTA. . . In the battle to fight a major cause of preventable blindness, the Carter Center's River Blindness Program and Lions Clubs International Foundation are celebrating the delivery of more than 50 million Mectizan® treatments in 11 countries in Africa and the Americas since 1996. Learn more »
ATLANTA… I wish to express my deepest regret for the loss of life that has occurred in Bolivia these past days and weeks and my personal condolences to the family and friends of those who have died. The violence that has rocked Bolivia is abhorrent to all peace loving people. Learn more »
ATLANTA....Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and the Carter Center's Mental Health Program are proud to present the award-winning documentary "Imagining Robert: My Brother, Madness and Survival" on Monday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Center's Ivan Allen Pavilion. The screening precedes the airing on local Atlanta public television (PBA 30) and other PBS stations nationwide. Learn more »
Atlanta. . . A collaborative action plan for making Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) the next disease to be eradicated from the earth was issued today at The Carter Center. Learn more »
Former US president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter on Friday urged Myanmar's military junta to release democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from detention. Learn more »
ATLANTA….The Missouri Supreme Court's ruling that executing juveniles is unconstitutionally cruel is the most recent and resounding indication of positive changes in public attitudes about government executions. In June 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that executing mentally retarded individuals violates "the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society." Learn more »
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter promoted the Carter Center's peace and health programs during a recent tour of Japan and China Learn more »
ATLANTA…. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will open a Beijing conference Sept. 8 on village elections and meet with government officials in support of The Carter Center's project to improve electoral procedures of the villager committees. Learn more »
The Carter Center is prepared to collaborate with the new electoral authorities in Venezuela in future electoral processes and to continue as a facilitator between the government and opposition. The Center has noted advances in the implementation of the May Accord facilitated by the Organization of American States with the support of The Carter Center and the United Nations Development Programme. Learn more »
ATLANTA….Concessions must be made by both India and Pakistan to resolve escalating tensions between the countries over Kashmir, the strife-torn Himalayan region, The Carter Center recommended in a report released today. India must acknowledge the existence of Pakistani grievances over the disputed territory while Pakistan must visibly take all possible steps to stop infiltrations by terrorists, the report said. Learn more »
ATLANTA....Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, will travel to Japan Sept. 4-6 to promote the Carter Center's work to increase agricultural production and eradicate Guinea worm disease in Africa. Learn more »
ATLANTA…..Members of the Egyptian, Israeli, and U.S. delegations to the 1978 Camp David negotiation will gather in Washington, D.C., Sept. 17 on the 25th anniversary of the accords to discuss lessons learned for Middle East peacemaking. Learn more »
ATLANTA…The Carter Center applauds the announcement of the Supreme Court of Venezuela Monday to appoint a new National Electoral Council in accordance with the court's interpretations of the Venezuelan Constitution. As The Carter Center proposed in January 2003, the Supreme Court should name an Electoral Council if the National Assembly were unable to name one. Learn more »
ATLANTA…..U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter lend their voices to the campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease in public service announcements being released in West Africa by The Carter Center. Learn more »
ATLANTA, GA…..The Carter Center and I welcome the peace agreement reached last night in Accra. It is our profound hope that this document will prove to be a springboard for the lasting peace so much desired by ordinary Liberians. This cannot be another false dawn. We urge Liberian leaders to work tirelessly to regain the trust of their people and to learn fully from past mistakes. With the strong assistance of the international community, it is now time to begin to implement all needed measures to lift Liberians out of poverty and oppression and move toward a future based on good governance and respect for basic human rights. Learn more »
ATLANTA....I am pleased to see that the White House has released the final report from the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. President Bush and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson should be commended for their support of this effort and for making mental health a real priority for the Administration. Learn more »
The Carter Center's Mental Health Program has named eight recipients of its seventh annual Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, including two fellows from New Zealand. Learn more »
The Carter Center Guyana will host a legal empowerment forum at Umana Yana in Georgetown on Saturday, July 12, that will involve more than 60 participants mostly from Regions 4 and 10. Learn more »
I welcome President Bush's recent statement of his determination to help the people of Liberia find the path to peace and his strong support for the cease-fire signed early this month. Learn more »
Matthew Hodes, a former United Nations official, has been appointed director of the Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program. He had served as the program's senior associate director since September 2001. Learn more »
Agenda 2025 National Vision and National Development Strategy Process's only nongovernmental partner, The Carter Center, will participate in the presentation June 25 of the strategy document to President Joaquim Chissano in Maputo, Mozambique. Learn more »
The Honourable Susan Whelan, Canada's Minister for International Cooperation, announced today that Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency, will contribute $3 million over three years to The Carter Center to help eradicate Guinea worm disease in Africa. Learn more »
The Carter Center's Guyana office awarded grants today to four not-for-profit organizations promoting the causes of women, youth, and Amerindians to implement projects on literacy, adolescent reproductive health, community sanitation, and agricultural education for youth. Learn more »
More than 90 participants attended the Carter Center Guyana's second Youth Empowerment Forum Saturday, June 7, aimed at raising participation by youth in decision-making and governance, mobilizing young people to become volunteers, and supporting development of future community leaders. Learn more »
The Carter Center announced its findings and recommendations on the October 2002 Jamaican elections in its final report released June 5 during a symposium held in Kingston. Learn more »
The Carter Center will report its findings and recommendations of its final report on the October 2002 Jamaican elections during a symposium scheduled for June 5 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel. Learn more »
In addition to Mrs. Carter, Congressman Kennedy will be joined by several experts who have first-hand experience in dealing with the psychological impacts of terrorism in the wake of the attack on Sept . 11 attacks. They include Dr. Kerry Kelly, chief medical officer for the New York City Fire Department, who was at Ground Zero when the towers collapsed; and William P. Van Wart, a battalion chief in the New York City Fire Department, who helped coordinate relief efforts on the ground after the attack. Learn more »
I congratulate the members of the Forum on Negotiation and Agreements in Venezuela on the signing of an accord to respect human rights, freedom of expression, and the right to petition for recall referenda of elected officials. Learn more »
We, the undersigned members of the Forum for Negotiation and Agreement, representing the national government and the political and social groups supporting it, as well as the political and civil society organizations comprising the Coordinadora Democrática, hereby sign this Agreement in a spirit of tolerance, in order to contribute to strengthening the climate of peace in the country. It is in this spirit that we reaffirm the principles and mechanisms that brought us to this table, as set forth in the Executive Summary agreed by the parties from the time it was established, as well as our conviction with regard to finding a constitutional, peaceful, democratic, and electoral solution. Learn more »
ATLANTA....Join former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, KQED Public Television, San Francisco, and Georgia Public Broadcasting for a free preview of the one-hour documentary Hope on the Street – addressing mental illness and homelessness – at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, in the Ivan Allen Pavilion at The Carter Center. The screening will be followed by an open question-and-answer period with producer Michael Isip, Ray Guevara, a bi-polar patient featured in the film, and the narrator, Dede Ranahan, whose son has schizophrenia and has spent time living on the streets. The Carter Center Mental Health Program Director Thomas Bornemann will moderate the event. Learn more »
On a sweltering day in Georgetown, a handful of people huddled around a table debating no less than the future of their country. Learn more »
Due to the world situation, The Carter Center has postponed international travel for the time being and therefore will not send a delegation to the Nigerian elections as originally intended. Learn more »
The Carter Center Guyana held a legal empowerment forum in Anna Regina on Saturday, March 29, attended by more than 70 participants from Regions 2 and 3. Learn more »
This report is the product of a pre-election assessment team organized by The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and The Carter Center that visited Nigeria March 16-21, 2003. The report details the team's observations and respectfully includes specific recommendations for ways to improve the conduct of the elections in the few weeks remaining before the first set of elections on April 12. The team was warmly received by all with whom it met, for which it expresses its gratitude, and urges all Nigerians to work together to ensure the integrity of the 2003 election process. Learn more »
I am deeply concerned about reports of detentions of Cuban citizens known for supporting the Varela Project, promoting human rights, and practicing independent journalism. Learn more »
Friends, family, and dignitaries from across Georgia gathered here March 19 for a gala event at Atlanta Symphony Hall to honor former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and his wife, Rosalynn. The evening, which President Carter described as "an ironic night," began at 8 p.m.--the exact deadline issued for Saddam Hussein's exit from Iraq. Learn more »
Ten former presidents and prime ministers from the Western Hemisphere met at The Carter Center this week and agreed upon practical recommendations for how governments can reduce campaign costs and the influence of money on politics. Learn more »
O Centro Carter organizou a conferência "O Financiamento da democracia: Partidos políticos, campanhas e eleições", em colaboração com o Fórum Interamericano sobre Partidos Políticos da Organização dos Estados Americanos. Learn more »
Members of the Council of Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Americas Learn more »
Maria Teresa Riveros de Almarza is the director of public affairs and communications for Venezuela and Colombia for The Coca-Cola Company. Before holding this position, Ms. Almarza worked as corporate communications manager of Coca-Cola Venezuela, public relations director for Hilton International in Venezuela, and as membership manager of the Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VenAmCham). Additionally, she coordinated committee work as vice president of the Latin American Chapter of the World Federation of Advertisement and president of the Venezuelan Advertiser Association. Ms. Almarza holds a bachelor's degree in business administration. Learn more »
The planned meeting of American, British, and Spanish leaders in the Azores this weekend is a strong indication of their determination to resolve the present impasse in the United Nations. Learn more »
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has hailed the International Criminal Court, formally inaugurated March 11 in The Hague, as a "watershed in our collective struggle for justice in the world." Learn more »
The Carter Center's Guyana office is launching its second opportunity for Guyanese nonprofit organizations to apply for funding for projects focusing on regional or national policy changes. The Carter Center will award grants of up to US$10,000 each to assist eligible organizations in their projects, which may include data collection or raising public awareness. Learn more »
Bolivia Vice President Carlos Mesa, Chile Minister of the Interior Jose Insulza, Organization of American States Secretary General César Gaviria, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, former Colombia President Andrés Pastrana, former Chile President Eduardo Frei, former Costa Rica President Miguel Angel Rodríguez, former Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez, and former Uruguay President Luis Alberto Lacalle are among the leaders who will join former U.S. President Jimmy Carter March 17-19 at The Carter Center to address the need to restore public confidence in government by enacting laws requiring full disclose of campaign finances. Learn more »
The Carter Center deplores the escalation of violence in Caracas in the last week and deplores the bombings of the diplomatic missions of Colombia and Spain in Caracas. Learn more »
The Carter Center Guyana held a Youth Empowerment Forum Feb. 15 in Linden that was attended by more than 60 participants from Regions 10 and 4. The participants represented a wide array of youth organizations, secondary schools, and other entities focusing on youth issues, based in both rural and urban areas, ranging from Amerindian villages to the city of Georgetown. Learn more »
I wish to express my deep sadness for the violence, looting and vandalism that occurred in Bolivia. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those killed and injured on the streets of La Paz. Learn more »
Applications are now being accepted for six one-year journalism fellowships with the Mental Health Program of The Carter Center. Designed to enhance public understanding of mental health issues and combat stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses, the fellowships begin in September 2003. Learn more »
I am pleased to see that the government and the Coordinadora have begun discussions at the Mesa de Negociaciones y Acuerdos on an electoral solution. Both sides have used the proposals that The Carter Center presented at the Mesa last week as a basis for progress and have presented their initial responses. Learn more »
On Friday, Jan. 31, the Carter Center's Guyana office will be celebrating the launch of its Resource Center, located at the Center's Guyana headquarters at 34 North and King Streets, Lacytown, in Georgetown. Learn more »
Georgetown, Guyana…..The Carter Center's Guyana office will award this week nearly GY$8 million to 10 small nonprofit organizations working to advance the causes of women, youth, and Amerindians. Learn more »
La oposición anuncia la finalización del paro. El Gobierno anuncia que no habrá represalias contra los trabajadores públicos que recurrieron a sus derechos sindicales. Quienes sean encontrados culpables de sabotaje o de otros delitos, serán penados conforme a la ley. Learn more »
La oposición anuncia la finalización del paro. El Gobierno anuncia que no habrá represalias contra los trabajadores públicos que recurrieron a sus derechos sindicales. Quienes sean encontrados culpables de sabotaje o de otros delitos, serán penados conforme a la ley. Learn more »
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