Carter Center

Peace Maker

THE CARTER CENTER CELEBRATES ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A SPECIAL EXHIBIT.

BY BRET LOVE

From Teddy Roosevelt and FDR to JFK and Ronald Reagan, it could be argued that there were many US Presidents who had a greater impact on the course of our nation during the 20th century than Jimmy Carter. But you would be hard-pressed to name a former Commander in Chief who has had more of a profound impact on world affairs in the years since leaving the Oval Office. The Georgia native has a 2002 Nobel Peace Prize and an Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism to show for these efforts.

Carter’s mission to advance human rights and alleviate unnecessary human suffering began in earnest in 1982, when the former president and his wife, Rosalynn, established Atlanta’s Carter Center in an effort to achieve their dreams of furthering human rights and peace worldwide. In the 25 years since, the Carters have used their political influence and relationships with world leaders to build partnerships working toward the goals of providing selfgovernance, freedom from political persecution, adequate food and access to healthcare for everyone, everywhere. “My original vision was that the Center would be a small and secluded place like Camp David,” recalls President Carter on the center’s website, “where we could resolve conflicts among nations or between adversaries within a country. We later found that one of the best ways to promote peace is to let people choose their own leaders. We helped pioneer the field of election monitoring and have observed more than 67 elections in troubled countries struggling to achieve democracy. Another area we did not anticipate was having programs to alleviate unnecessary suffering from preventable diseases and hunger. What has evolved is an array of programs advancing human rights.”

The list of the center’s accomplishments under the direction of the former president and first lady is both impressive and extensive, which explains why it’s difficult for them to pick one of which they are proudest. While Mrs. Carter lists the year her husband and the center helped prevent wars in Haiti and Korea as particularly memorable, President Carter suggests that the Carter Center’s overall impact is much more significant than any one achievement.

“I think we have demonstrated that a very small, nongovernmental organization can be highly effective,” he says. “I believe we also have shown that, although it’s not easy, we can cross the chasm between the rich and poor on earth.”

Running through November 25 at the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum, “Beyond the Presidency: 25 Years of the Carter Center” is a special exhibit spotlighting the Carters’ efforts in waging peace, battling disease and building hope around the world. Items on display include a preserved Guinea worm (one of the last on Earth), which causes a preventable disease that once afflicted millions and is on the verge of being eradicated; a “roving” ballot box and bicycle from China, where the center has helped people in 650,000 villages hold elections; a pit latrine and shelter from rural Ethiopia, where the Carters have worked to improve sanitation and fight eye disease; a baseball signed by Fidel Castro and President Carter from his historic 2002 trip to Cuba, during which he called on the US and Cuban governments to mend relations; and the Nobel Peace Prize medal awarded to President Carter in 2002.

Asked about the center’s next 25 years, now that he and his wife have stepped down from active fundraising and formed a partnership with Emory University, the former president recalled his Nobel Peace Prize lecture, in which he quoted his high school teacher, Julia Coleman. “She said we must accommodate changing times, but cling to unchanging principles,” Carter explains, “I hope we always will stay on the cutting edge of technology and knowledge and medicines, but try to adhere to basic principles of morality and honesty and integrity and peace and justice and respect of human life. And I hope that, as an organization, we will never let the fear of failure be an excuse for not trying.”

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CARTER CENTER’S FIRST 25 YEARS

NOVEMBER 1986: The Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government is created. DECEMBER 1988: The International Task Force for Disease Eradication is established. SEPTEMBER 1991: The center’s Mental Health Task Force is formed under the direction of Mrs. Carter. JULY 1992: International human rights representatives join President Carter for the seminar “Investigating Abuses and Introducing Human Rights Safeguards in the Democratization Process.” JULY 1993: President and his wife travel to Benin, Togo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan to help increase agriculture production, eradicate Guinea worm disease and promote democracy in Africa. DECEMBER 1994: The first meeting of the center’s International Human Rights Council, charged with providing new visibility and strategies advancing human rights worldwide, takes place. APRIL 1997: More than 20 current and former heads of state from the Americas meet to assess relations and offer recommendations on free trade, drug certification policy, arms sales and boundary disputes. DECEMBER 1998: President Carter receives the first UN Human Rights Prize on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. AUGUST 1999: President Clinton presents President Carter and his wife with the nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. DECEMBER 2000: World mental health leaders gather for the Inaugural World Conference for the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders. MAY 2002: Accepting an invitation from Fidel Castro, President Carter and his wife head a delegation to Cuba, making him the first US president to visit since 1928. DECEMBER 2002: President Carter accepts the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. DECEMBER 2003: President Carter and Conflict Resolution Program director Matthew Hodes attend the signing of the Geneva Accord, an unofficial peace accord outlining a path to peace in the Middle East. OCTOBER 2005: President Carter, UN Secretary- General KofiAnnan, and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright unveil the Dec-laration of Principles for International Election Observation. SEPTEMBER 2006: President Carter addresses a sold-out audience during “The Carters on the Record,” the inaugural event of the 2006-2007“Conversations at The Carter Center” series.