Timeline and History of The Carter Center

Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter,  the Atlanta-based Carter Center has helped to improve the quality of life for people in more than 70 countries. The Center, in partnership with Emory University, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering.

 
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2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 |2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

2010

Nov. 11: Public health officials confirm significant progress toward the goal of elimination of river blindness in Latin America by 2012 during the 20th Inter-American Conference on Onchocerciasis in Antigua, Guatemala, announcing that more than one-third of all Latin Americans at risk for contracting river blindness (onchocerciasis)— a leading cause of preventable blindness— are no longer at risk.

Nov. 7:  A Carter Center international observation team, led by former Nigeria Head of State General Yakubu Gowon and Carter Center Vice President for Peace Programs John Stremlau, finds Guinea's runoff elections marked by peaceful voting and a high level of participation and urges peaceful acceptance of the final results.  The Center's mission deployed 30 observers representing more than 13 nations.

Nov. 3-4:  The 26th Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, "A Veteran's Journey Home," examines the unique challenges for mental health care and community reintegration faced by National Guard and reserve veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nov. 1-7:  In the largest single event in trachoma control history, the Lions-Carter Center SightFirst project, the Amhara National Regional State Health Bureau, and the International Trachoma Initiative provide Pfizer-donated antibiotic treatment to 10 million Ethiopians at risk for blinding trachoma.  The week-long event also included health education workshops on preventing trachoma and malaria.

Oct. 31: The Carter Center observes the Cote d'Ivoire presidential elections—a crucial step in the country's peace process—noting the high level of voter participation despite an often tense and sometimes violent political campaign. The international delegation, led by former Ghana President John Kufuor and Dr. John Stremlau, Carter Center vice president for peace programs, included 40 observers representing 23 different countries.

Oct. 12: During a special ceremony in Atlanta, former U.S. President and Carter Center Founder Jimmy Carter receives on behalf of The Carter Center two pledges—$500,000 toward the Guinea Worm Eradication Program and $500,000 toward the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA)—from the OPEC Fund for International Development, represented by His Excellency Director General Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish.

Sept. 4-10: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter visit China to advance the Center's work to encourage political reform, improve grassroots election procedures, and expand access to information.

Aug. 27: During a private humanitarian mission to North Korea, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter gained the release of Aijalon Gomes, an American teacher who had been imprisoned for seven months for illegally entering the country.

Aug. 16: The Carter Center launches the Database of Obligations for Democratic Elections, the first database consolidating more than 150 sources of international law related to human rights and elections that can be used by international and domestic election observers to assess elections.
 

Aug. 1:  The Liberia Mental Health Initiative is launched to improve access to mental health services in this post-conflict nation.

July 10: The Carter Center awards the 2010-11 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism—the only journalism fellowships exclusively for mental health—to 10 recipients from the United States, South Africa, and Romania.  The program has educated more than 100 journalists, who set the standard in their field for accurate and sensitive portrayals of mental health issues.

June 27: The Carter Center observed Guinea's presidential election, noting voter enthusiasm and turnout, but administrative challenges to be addressed prior to the run-off election.

May 24:  The Carter Center formally launches its international election observation mission of Guinea's June 27 elections with the deployment of eight long-term observers throughout the country.

May 17:  The Carter Center-led drive to eradicate Guinea worm disease gained significant momentum in 2009, with an all-time low of 3,190 total cases reported -- a 31 percent decrease from 2008.

May 10:  Following an initial post-election statement April 17 commending the Sudanese people for the generally peaceful polling process, The Carter Center reports widespread irregularities in Sudan's vote tabulation and strongly urges steps to increase transparency.

April 29: Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter launches tour for "Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis."  The book includes stories from Mrs. Carter's nearly 40 years of public service and provides an assessment of the state of the mental health system.

April 16:  The Carter Center, in partnership with the Ethiopia Ministry of Health and Lions Clubs International Foundation, mobilizes millions of people April 17-23 in Ethiopia's Amhara Region to receive treatments of the antibiotic Zithromax® (donated by Pfizer Inc.) and participate in health education workshops on preventing trachoma and malaria.

April 8:  The Center observes Sudan's April 2010 presidential, gubernatorial, and legislative elections. The mission included more than 60 international observers from over 20 countries, deployed in each of Sudan's 25 states to assess the electoral environment surrounding polling, counting, and vote tabulation. 

March 1:  Ecuador becomes the second country in the Americas—after Colombia in 2008—to stop the transmission of river blindness, or onchocerciasis. The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program in the Americas (OEPA) urges intensified efforts in campaign to rid the four remaining endemic countries of the blinding parasitic disease by 2012.

Feb. 27:  The Carter Center's annual Winter Weekend auction, held at Port St. Lucie, Fla., raises $1,322,300 to help support the global peace and health work of the not-for-profit Center.

Feb. 23: The Carter Center, with International IDEA, launches an initiative to
strengthen Andean-U.S. relations and hosts a two-day gathering in Atlanta of approximately 40 representatives from the regions.

Feb. 11:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits the last stronghold of Guinea worm disease in Southern Sudan and urges intensification of efforts to wipe out the parasitic disease from the region, which includes 86 percent of the remaining 3,190 cases worldwide.  During his Feb. 9-12 visit, President Carter also met with officials in Khartoum and Juba to discuss the country's April multi-party elections.

Feb. 7:  Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter leads the African Regional Conference on the Right of Access to Information Feb. 7-9, in Accra, Ghana, hosted by The Carter Center and its partners in Africa.

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2009

Dec. 21: Once the most endemic country for Guinea worm disease in the world, Nigeria declares victory in its 20-year fight to eliminate the disease, reducing cases from more than 650,000 in 1986 to zero in 2009.

Dec. 17: The Carter Center issues a statement commending the broad—and generally peaceful—participation in Sudan's national voter registration process, held Nov. 1-Dec. 7.

Dec. 6: A Carter Center delegation of 18 observers from seven countries finds Bolivia's general election generally peaceful, notes that the new biometric registry (voter list) at polling stations served its intended purposes, and recommends Bolivian society and the National Electoral Court (CNE) continue to consolidate credibility in their institutions.

Nov. 3: The Carter Center and OAS facilitate a meeting between Ecuadorian Chancellor Fander Falconí and his Colombian counterpart Jaime Bermúdez in Cotacachi, Ecuador, resulting in three agreements: reactivation of the Bi-National Border Commission (Combifron), naming of the nations' chargés d'affairs by Nov. 15, and continuation of the work of the Commission of Sensitive Issues with support from the OAS and The Carter Center.

Nov. 2: Ethiopia's Amhara National Regional Health Bureau and Lions-Carter Center Sightfirst Initiative undertake the third integrated malaria and trachoma prevention campaign. The campaigns—which have successfully delivered more than nine million doses of antibiotics to-date— use an innovative strategy to deliver an integrated package of prevention and treatment measures in one of the most trachoma-endemic areas in the world.

Oct. 18-30: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter travels to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey to discuss Carter Center programs, including ongoing efforts to advance peace between Israel and its neighbors.

Oct. 8: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and a Carter Center staff delegation travel to Hispaniola to encourage international support for the elimination of malaria and lymphatic filariasis from the Caribbean.  Haiti and the Dominican Republic launched a binational plan to eliminate the diseases as part of a Carter Center-sponsored pilot project.

Sept. 1: New research suggests that efforts to control blinding trachoma are reducing child mortality in Ethiopia. A report, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, says that Ethiopia's child mortality rates—which are among the highest in the world—could be significantly decreased as a result of treatment to control the nonfatal eye disease. The study was conducted by The Carter Center and the University of California at San Francisco, in partnership with the Ethiopia Ministry of Health.

Aug. 26: The Carter Center launches a voter registration observation mission to Bolivia by deploying six long-term observers to review the nation's new state-of-the-art biometric voter registration process. Additional short-term observers will join the group in early December to monitor the nation's presidential and legislative elections.

Aug. 20: The Carter Center reaches an agreement with Sudan's Government of National Unity, the National Elections Commission, and the Government of Southern Sudan to observe the electoral process leading to anticipated presidential elections in 2010.

July 20: Ghana, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia announce their elimination of blinding trachoma during a meeting of the Alliance for the Global Elimination of Blinding Trachoma by the Year 2020 (GET 2020),  the World Health Organization's global partnership on eye disease.

July 10: The Carter Center awards the 2009-2010 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism—the only journalism fellowships exclusively for mental health—to 10 recipients from the United States, South Africa, and Romania.  The program has educated more than 100 journalists, who set the standard in their field for accurate and sensitive portrayals of mental health issues.

June 8-17:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits Syria, Israel, West Bank, and Gaza following the Carter Center's observation of the June 7 Lebanese elections.  As part of his ongoing efforts to promote constructive dialogue in the region, President Carter held meetings with representatives of all parties to the Israeli-Arab conflict during his visit.

June 7:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Karim al-Eryani lead the Center's international election observation delegation to observe Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary elections. The Carter Center mission included 60 observers from 23 countries.

April 28-30:  The Carter Center hosts the Americas Regional Conference on the Right of Access to Information from April 28-20 in Lima, Peru.  The event, attended by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, included more than 100 high-ranking officials, civil society leaders, and journalists from 20 countries.

April 27-May 4:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil to assess Carter Center projects, participate in a regional conference on the right of access to information, and meet with officials to discuss regional themes of importance following the Summit of the Americas.

April 25-May 3:  The Carter Center holds MALTRA (Malaria/Trachoma) Week in Ethiopia's eastern Amhara district, the second such event in the Amhara Region, distributing the antibiotic azithromycin (donated by Pfizer, Inc.).to approximately 4.4 million people for the treatment of trachoma.  The thousands of health workers and volunteers also tested and treated villagers for malaria.

April 22:  Health officials from 11 African countries honor former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and The Carter Center for "pioneering contributions to eradicating neglected tropical diseases in Africa" with an award presented April 22 in Washington, D.C.

April 9:  The Carter Center deploys a limited election observation mission to Indonesia's April 9 legislative elections, congratulates citizens, political parties, and the National Election Commission (KPU) on a "generally peaceful" process.

March 30:  An international team of researchers reports that the transmission of onchocerciasis, or river blindness, has been broken in Escuintla, Guatemala—one of the largest endemic areas in the Western Hemisphere to-date to stop the transmission of the parasitic disease, part of an effort to eliminate it from the Americas.

Feb. 7:  The Carter Center's annual Winter Weekend auction, held at Port St. Lucie, Fla., raises $817,590 to help support the global peace and health work of the not-for-profit Center.

Jan. 25:  A Carter Center mission observes Bolivia's constitutional referendum.

Jan. 10-16:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter travels to China to commemorate the 30th anniversary of normalizing diplomatic relations with Deng Xiaoping and to expand the Carter Center's working relations with government ministries.

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2008

Dec. 28:  Carter Center observes Ghana's "peaceful and credible" presidential run-off elections.

Dec. 7:  A Carter Center election observation delegation witnesses Ghana's Dec. 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Dec. 5-16:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter travels to Lebanon and Syria for discussions on the Middle East.

Dec. 5:  Carter Center announces Guinea worm disease cases at all-time low, with fewer than 5,000 estimated cases remaining worldwide.  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) announce new commitments totaling US$55 million to support the historic Carter Center-led Guinea worm eradication campaign.

Dec. 3:  Fifty human rights leaders gathered at The Carter Center for the 2008 Human Rights Defenders Forum issue urgent appeal for President-elect Barack Obama to renew U.S. commitments to human rights principles and practices that have been abandoned since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks against the United States.

Nov. 20:  New findings on the nation's delivery of children's mental health care released during 24th Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, held Nov. 20-21. New research by the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University reveals that state-by-state policies continue to hinder children's mental health delivery 25 years after the strong recommendation of a federal plan to address the issue.

Nov. 7:  The Carter Center launches election observation mission to Côte d'Ivoire, at the invitation of Prime Minister Guillaume Soro.

Nov. 4:  The Carter Center hosts a study mission by Chinese scholars and election officials to the U.S. elections in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. areas.

Sept. 30:  The Carter Center, in partnership with Haiti and the Dominican Republic, announces a one-year initiative to try to accelerate elimination of malaria and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) from the island of Hispaniola, which the countries share.

Sept. 28:  The Carter Center observes Ecuador's constitutional referendum, in response to an invitation by Ecuador's Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

July 18:  The Carter Center names the recipients of its 12th annual Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, including six from the United States, two from southern Africa, and two from Romania. 

June 6:  The Carter Center facilitates talks between Ecuador and Colombia on the resumption of diplomatic relations. The dialogue included high-ranking members of government and influential members of the media.

April 13-21:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter leads a study mission to Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan as part of the Carter Center's ongoing effort to support peace, democracy, and human rights in the region.

April 10:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter lead the Carter Center's international election observation delegation to Nepal's historic constituent assembly elections, co-led by Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, former deputy prime minister of Thailand.

April 2:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, with the Carter Center's global Guinea Worm Eradication Program, honors Ethiopia, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Togo for ending transmission of Guinea worm disease in 2007 at a special ceremony held in Abuja, Nigeria. The four countries join 11 others in reporting an end to the parasitic infection.

Feb. 27-29:   The International Conference on the Right to Public Information, with more than 125 representatives of government, civil society, media, private sector, international financial institutions, donors, and academics from 40 countries, addresses advancements and challenges globally in public information law. The group later issued the "Atlanta Declaration and Plan of Action."

Feb. 9:  A bench of hard maple wood handcrafted by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter sells for $300,000 at an auction in Port St. Lucie to benefit the nonprofit Carter Center's initiatives to advance peace and health worldwide. Items in the silent and live auctions combined raised $1.2 million for the Center.

Jan. 23:  Carter Center and Lions Clubs International Foundation representatives witness a historic moment in trachoma control when the 10 millionth dose of azithromycin (Zithromax®) is dispensed to a person in Awi Zone, Ethiopia. The antibiotic, donated by Pfizer Inc, is a main strategy in the fight against the blinding disease in poor, rural areas.

Jan. 4:  The Carter Center's River Blindness Program, with its global partners, announce the 100 millionth treatment of Mectizan® since 1996. The drug, proven effective and safe in treatment and prevention of river blindness, also called onchocerciasis, is donated by Merck & Co., Inc.

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2007

Nov. 20-24:  Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visits Nepal, addresses parliament, issues compromise proposal for successful resolution of Constituent Assembly and national constitution delay.

November 20:  Onchocerciasis Elimination Program in the Americas (OEPA) announces Colombia as first country to interrupt transmission of onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness.

Nov.  5:  Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy focuses on need to implement preventive measures on a national scale to stop onset or progression of mental illnesses.

Oct. 2:  "Beyond the White House:  Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope," written by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, is published.  The book chronicles his post-presidency and the Carter Center's 25 years of advancing peace, health, and human rights around the globe.

Sept. 30:  Carter Center deploys electoral observation mission, at invitation of the Supreme Electoral Court (Tribunal Supremo Electoral) of Ecuador, to monitor constituent assembly elections, announces opening of field office in Quito.

Sept. 5-7:  Human rights defenders from 20 countries discuss challenges in addressing mass atrocities and develop recommendations for the international community during the 2007 Human Rights Defenders Policy Forum,  "Faith and Freedom: Protecting Human Rights as Common Cause," sponsored by The Carter Center and Human Rights First.

Aug. 20:  The Carter Center Mental Health Program awards two Romanian journalists with the eleventh annual Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism—the first year journalists from the Eastern European country will participate in the program. They join the 2007-2008 class of six additional fellows from the United States and two from southern Africa.

July 10:  Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter testifies before the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee on the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Education Equity Act.

June 30:  Carter Center observes Parliamentary elections in Timor-Leste, declares vote democratic and peaceful.

June 3:  Joint study issued by The Carter Center, with Transparency International, asserts that lack of transparency in political financing poses serious problems in eight Latin American countries.

May 18:  Carter Center meets challenge from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation early, with $45 million raised in two years toward eradication of Guinea worm disease.

May 18:  Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum, including state leaders, mental health advocates, and consumers, focuses on reducing the stigma of mental illness and develops anti-stigma activities for communities throughout Georgia.

May 4:  Carter Center opens field office Ramallah in support of peace for Israel, justice for the Palestinians, and the emergence of a viable, democratic Palestinian state.

March 23:  Carter Center issues "Building Consensus on Principles for International Election Observation," a report outlining the consensus-building process leading to the endorsement of best practices in the field.

March 9:  The Carter Center launches an international election observation mission in Nepal with the deployment this week of  13 long-term observers in all five development regions around the country.

Feb. 6-16:  Delegation of senior-level Carter Center officials are led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter on  tour of Africa, calling international attention to health needs among impoverished communities in Ghana, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

Feb. 3:  Annual Winter Weekend auction raises $1 million to benefit the nonprofit Carter Center's initiatives to advance peace and health worldwide.

Jan. 1:  The Carter Center begins 25th anniversary observation.

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2006

Nov. 8-9:  Experts in disaster mental health gather for the 22nd Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy to discuss the long-term psychological consequences of Hurricane Katrina and ways to improve disaster planning, preparedness, and response as they relate to mental health.

Nov. 5:  The Carter Center observes Nicaragua's presidential, vice-presidential, and legislative elections, its fourth observance of Nicaraguan elections.

Oct. 29:  A 45-member international Carter Center delegation led by former Prime Minister of Canada Joe Clark observes the Democratic Republic of the Congo's presidential runoff elections.  Carter Center Peace Programs Associate Executive Director John Stremlau was co-leader of the delegation.

Sept. 12:  Former U.S. President Jimmy 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, which includes an examination of North Korea with President Carter, Dr. Marion Creekmore, and former U.S. Ambassador James Laney, and a discussion of the future of Palestine with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and President Carter.

July 30:  The Carter Center deploys a 58-member international election observation delegation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's first presidential and  legislative multi-party elections in 40 years.

July 7:  2006-2007 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism awarded to 10 journalists from the United States and South Africa.

July 3:   Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter leads pre-election assessment trip to Nicaragua, meeting with President Bolaños, four members of the Supreme Electoral Council including President Roberto Rivas, and candidates and other party members from four of the five political parties and alliances participating in the 2006 elections.

June 13: The Carter Center receives the 2006 Gates Award for Global Health.

May 24: Participants in the third Human Rights Defenders Forum call for authentic democracy and support for defenders worldwide, sponsored by The Carter Center and Human Rights First.
May 11: The 11th annual Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum examines gaps in the state's mental health services.

April 27: Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter gather at The Carter Center to explore collective steps to strengthening democracy in the Western Hemisphere.

March 31: Final count shows fewer than 11,000 cases of Guinea worm disease remained by Dec. 31, 2005, down from an estimated 3.5 million when the eradication effort began in 1986.

Feb. 4: Winter Weekend auction raises a record $1.7 million to support the Center's programs worldwide.

Jan. 25: An 80-person Carter Center/National Democratic Institute observer delegation monitors Palestinian elections in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.

Jan. 12: The Center launches an initiative with Canadian partners to provide Web-based interactive maps of media ownership and reach in 12 countries in the Western Hemisphere to increase transparency in campaign financing and strengthen democracy.

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2005

Dec. 7-9: Global Development Initiative convenes global leaders and policy-makers to explore development planning models and aid processes to help close the growing gap between rich and poor worldwide.

Nov. 2: The 21st annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy convenes to examine gaps in applying medical breakthroughs to the treatment of people with mental illnesses and addictive disorders.

Oct. 31: President Carter, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright unveil the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, agreed to by major election observation bodies.

Oct. 11: The Carter Center and National Democratic Institute observe presidential and legislative elections in Liberia, including the Nov. 8 runoff.

June 7: The Carter Center and Human Rights First host the conference "Human Rights Defenders on the Frontlines of Freedom: Advancing Security and the Rule of Law."

May 15: The Carter Center observes the May 15 Ethiopian parliamentary elections and Somali regional elections in August.

May 10: The 2005 Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health forum brings together experts and policy-makers to examine the state's move to deliver Medicaid services through managed care programs.

March 31: Final count shows Guinea worm cases reduced to fewer than 16,000 in 2004, down from an estimated 3.5 million when the eradication campaign began in 1986.

March 22: As part of a planned transition for the governance of The Carter Center, President and Mrs. Carter step down as chair and vice chair of the Carter Center board of trustees, and the board elects John Moores as chairman. The Carters retain permanent seats on the board.

Feb. 26: The Carter Center ends a two-and-a-half year project to strengthen democracy in Venezuela.

Feb. 12: The Carter Center's 13th annual Winter Weekend auction in Snowbird, Utah, raises $875,036 to help support the Center's work to advance peace and health worldwide.

Jan. 9: The Carter Center participates in a National Democratic Institute delegation to observe the election for president of the Palestinian Authority. The 80-member delegation was led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, and former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman.
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2004

Dec. 1-2: The Carter Center deploys 60 observers, led by President and Mrs. Carter and former Benin President Nicéphore Soglo, throughout Mozambique to observe the two-day presidential election. The Center found that, although the voting was orderly, the National Elections Commission did not administer a free election in all parts of the country.

Nov. 9-10: The 20th annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy gathers leaders in the field nationwide to discuss "Transforming Mental Health for Children and Families in Light of the President's New Freedom Commission."

Nov. 2: The Carter Center hosts 35 Chinese electoral officials around Atlanta and Chattanooga to observe U.S. Election Day. Before the election, they discussed campaigning, voter education, and the electoral process with Georgia elections officers and elected officials.

Aug. 15: The Carter Center and the Organization of American States observe the historic presidential recall referendum in Venezuela, believed to be the first presidential recall vote in the world. The Center and the OAS's audits and observations confirmed the Venezuelan National Electoral Council's finding that President Hugo Chavez won the vote.

July 13-30: More than 300 corporate volunteers and members of the diplomatic community in Atlanta join Carter Center staff to assemble 30,000 medical kits to use in the effort to eradicate the last 1 percent of Guinea worm disease left in the world.

July 5: The Carter Center observes Indonesia's historic election, in which voters for the first time directly choose their president. The Center's 60 observers, led by President and Mrs. Carter and former Thailand Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, found voting to be well-organized but noted some concerns.

May 31: The Carter Center closes down its office in Guyana, having completed its most recent project in the country. Since 2000, the Center had implemented the More Responsive and Participatory Governance and Rule of Law in Guyana project, in partnership with the National Democratic Institute and the International Foundation for Election Systems. The Center worked to improve the influence of civil society on public policy and to strengthen the administration of justice in Guyana.

May 12: The 2004 Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum brings together experts and policy-makers in an effort to implement recommendations from the final report of President Bush's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.

March 13-14: The Carter Center and its partner groups hold a conference for nongovernmental organizations in Georgetown, Guyana, entitled, "Making a Difference Together." Part of the Center's effort to improve the influence of civil society in formation of public policy implemented under the U. S. Agency for International Development-funded program, More Responsive and Participatory Governance and Rule of Law in Guyana. The conference marks the completion of the program, which began in 2000.

Feb. 28: The Carter Center's 12th annual Winter Weekend auction held Feb. 28 in Snowbird, Utah, raises $823,946 to help support the Center's work to advance peace and health worldwide.

Feb. 4: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and senior officials from The Carter Center, Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. LEE Jong-wook, and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF Kul C. Gautam make a historic visit to the endemic Guinea worm village of Dashie to urge Ghana to finish the eradication of Guinea worm disease. They were hosted by the Ghana Minister of Health Dr. Kweku Afriyie.

Feb. 2-7: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, travel to three West African countries—Togo, Ghana, and Mali—to call international attention to the need to eliminate the last 1 percent of Guinea worm disease remaining in the world and to launch the Development and Cooperation Initiative, a multiyear effort to help reduce poverty in Mali.

Jan. 25-27: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter travels to Caracas, Venezuela, on behalf of The Carter Center to advance the Peace and Democracy Accord. During his trip, a continuation of the work begun in September 2002 to help resolve Venezuela's political crisis, President Carter met with Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, the National Electoral Council, opposition leaders, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court.

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2003

Dec. 28: Carter Center representatives observe the second round of national elections in Guatemala, in the departments of El Quiché, San Marcos, Totonicapán, Huehuetenango, and Suchitepéquez, and call upon the government of President-elect Oscar Berger to prioritize full implementation of the 1996 Peace Accords, particularly strengthening the rule of law within the framework of fundamental human rights.

Dec. 17: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, travel to Bolivia to meet with President Carlos Mesa, political party leaders, and legislators to discuss citizen participation in political dialogue and the role of access to information in strengthening Bolivia's democracy.

Dec. 1: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the Carter Center's 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.

Nov. 21-24, Nov. 28-Dec. 1: The Organization of American States and The Carter Center observe the two collections of recall signatures in Venezuela.

Nov. 20: The Carter Center announces 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. The grant challenged the Center to raise $5 million in matching funds to secure a total of $15 million for the project.

Nov. 17: The Carter Center monitors the Mozambique municipal elections, a part of a larger electoral assistance project leading up to observation of the 2004 national elections.

Nov. 12: 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 join former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at The Carter Center for the conference "Human Rights Defenders on the Frontlines of Freedom" to address backsliding on human rights since the September 11 terrorist attack.

Nov. 9: A Carter Center election observation team monitors the Guatemalan presidential, congressional, and municipal electoral process.

Nov. 5-6: National health experts and policy-makers gather at the 19th annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy to identify ways to implement recommendations from the report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.

Sept. 17: Egyptian, Israeli, and U.S. negotiators who forged the Camp David Accords join former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in Washington, D.C., on the 25th anniversary of the peace agreement to discuss lessons learned for peacemaking and how they can be applied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today.

Sept. 8-9: President Carter opens a Beijing conference on China village elections and meets with government officials in support of the Carter Center's project to improve electoral procedures of the villager committees.

Sept. 4-6: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, travel to Japan to promote the Carter Center's work to increase agricultural production and eradicate Guinea worm disease in Africa.

Aug. 28-29: The Carter Center's Americas Program helps obtain a commitment by the Venezuelan government and opposition to accept decisions of the new National Electoral Council. The Center facilitated dialogue among political actors throughout the crisis in Venezuela in 2003.

June 25: Representatives of The Carter Center attend a ceremony in Mozambique marking the presentation of recommendations for a long-term development vision and strategy for the country. The effort was supported by the Center's Global Development Initiative.

May 16: The Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum explores the establishment of performance measures to improve the state's mental health services.

March 28: A pre-election assessment team of The Carter Center and National Democratic Institute urges Nigeria to improve electoral procedures and processes for the forthcoming presidential election.

March 17-19: Current and former leaders from the Americas join President Carter at the Center for the conference "Financing Democracy in the Americas: Political Parties, Campaigns, and Elections."

March 13: The Carter Center's Mental Health Program, in conjunction with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, holds a conference to address funding for mental health treatment in Eastern Europe.

Feb. 19-23: President and Mrs. Carter host the 11th annual Winter Weekend at Snowbird Mountain Resort, Utah, including an auction raising $1.1 million to support the Carter Center's work to advance peace and health worldwide.

Jan. 20: President Carter meets with government officials and opposition groups in Caracas, Venezuela, to seek options to resolve the nation's political crisis.
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2002

Dec. 27: The Carter Center observes Kenya's national elections. Former Zambia President Kenneth Kaunda and former U.S. Ambassador Gordon Streeb, associate executive director of the Center's peace programs, lead the Center's 27 observers.

Oct. 16: President Carter and former Costa Rica President Miguel Rodriguez lead a Carter Center delegation to observe Jamaica's elections.

Oct. 11: The Norwegian Nobel Committee announces the award of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize to President Carter for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.

Oct. 5: Mrs. Carter is inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

Oct. 3: The Carter Center recognizes World Sight Day to help call attention to those diseases and conditions that cause blindness. The Center's health programs address river blindness and trachoma, the world's leading cause of blindness.

Sept. 9: A mission of representatives from the Organization of American States, the United Nations Development Programme, and The Carter Center visits Venezuela in response to an invitation from the government and various opposition groups.

July 6: President Carter travels to Caracas, Venezuela, to meet with political and civil society groups to discuss a process for helping to resolve the nation's political crisis.

May 21: The Carter Center hosts the seventh annual Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum, "Georgia Suicide Prevention: Healing and Hope."

May 14: A Carter Center team observes Sierra Leone's first post-conflict presidential and parliamentary election. The elections were peaceful with high voter turnout.

May 12-17: Accepting an invitation from Cuba President Fidel Castro, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, head a Carter Center delegation to Cuba, making him the first seated or former U.S. president to visit Cuba since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

April 12: After visiting 12 of the 13 districts and meeting with political parties, domestic observers, and members of the community, The Carter Center praises East Timor's Independent Election Commission for its impressive preparations for presidential elections and reassures citizens that their vote will be held in secret.

March 19: Addressing world leaders at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, President Carter calls for rich nations to do more to curb global poverty.

March 4-7: Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, participate in the International Conference on the Eradication of Guinea Worm Disease in Khartoum, Sudan, a meeting sponsored by the government of Sudan, The Carter Center, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF.

Feb. 21-22: World leaders convene at The Carter Center to address challenges to overcoming global poverty and call for increased commitment of resources by the international community.

Feb. 6-10: President and Mrs. Carter host their 10th annual auction and ski weekend in Crested Butte, Colo., to benefit The Carter Center.

Jan. 22-24: More than 60 experts convene at The Carter Center to determine how to eradicate river blindness in the Americas.

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2001

Dec. 26: Former Nigeria head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Benin President Nicephore Soglo, and former Tanzania Prime Minister Judge Joseph Warioba arrive in Lusaka as co-leaders of a 33-person Carter Center delegation and meet with presidential candidates and election officials to discuss the election environment. The conduct of the voting is peaceful, yet the vote-counting procedures are chaotic and there is discussion of irregularities in vote tabulation. Zambia demonstrates significant progress as well as the serious challenges that remain.

Nov. 27: President Carter, the Secretary of Health of Mexico Dr. Julio Frenk Mora, and World Health Organization's Dr. Maria Neira address the 11th annual Inter-American Conference on Onchocerciasis. River blindness is targeted for regional eradication in the Americas.

Nov. 7-8: Carter Center hosts the annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Children and Mental Health: Symptoms and Redesigning Treatment Services. Mrs. Carter calls on parents, teachers, and health care providers to address a "national crisis" in children's mental health.

Nov. 4: President Carter leads a Carter Center delegation to Nicaragua to observe the presidential elections. The election is smooth and fair, but the behind-the-scenes politicking to determine party eligibility reveals institutional weakness. Nicaragua is urged to refine its political institutions.

Sept. 27: A pre-election assessment team goes to Managua, Nicaragua, led by former Peru President Valentin Paniagua, former U.S. Ambassador Gwen Clare, and Dr. Shelley McConnell of The Carter Center.

Sept. 3-5: President Carter visits China to discuss with leaders their progress in holding elections for local officials in villages nationwide.

Aug. 30: The Carter Center's international observer delegation commends the people of Timor Lorosa'e for their massive and peaceful participation in today's election. The Carter Center also extends commendations to the Independent Election Commission and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor for working hard to achieve an efficient and peaceful electoral process.

Aug. 7: President Carter leads a delegation team from The Carter Center and the National Democratic Institute to meet with the leaders of the two main political parties in Bangladesh. The leaders make commitments to the delegation ensuring a more democratic and peaceful parliamentary election as well as a more stable political environment following the polls.

July 9: The Carter Center's Mental Health Program names nine recipients of its Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, including, for the first time, two international fellows.

June 20: Leaders of Atlanta's multinational corporations join President Carter at The Carter Center for a conference on international business practices and corruption. The meeting marks the launch of the Carter Center's Council for Ethical Business Practices.

June 3: The National Democratic Institute and The Carter Center send a delegation to the 2001 Peruvian presidential runoff elections. The 35-member delegation is led by Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of state; Rodrigo Carazo Odio, former president of Costa Rica; Ramiro de Leon Carpio, former president of Guatemala; and Sam Gejdenson, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The peaceful and well-administered elections are a dramatic contrast to the fraudulent and illegitimate process of 2000.

May 22: The Carter Center, along with its partners Health and Development International, Hydro Polymers of Norsk Hydro, and Norwegian Church Aid, begins blanketing Sudan with 9 million pipe filters—one for every man, woman, and child at risk—to combat Guinea worm disease.

May 17: The Carter Center hosts a forum on mental health care of children in Georgia's juvenile system, bringing together mental health leaders from throughout the state.

May 7: The Carter Center receives the American Psychiatric Association's Distinguished Service Award in recognition of its efforts to address key public policy issues and develop initiatives to reduce the stigma of mental illness.

May 1: President Carter meets with Reebok Chairman Paul Fireman and the Reebok board of directors to discuss the company's continuing efforts to promote human rights worldwide. President Carter has served on the Reebok human rights board of advisors since 1989.

April 19: President Carter and other members of the Center's Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Americas appeal to heads of state at the Summit of the Americas that free elections and democratic practices be criteria for countries to participate in future regional summits and the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

April 8: The Carter Center, along with the National Democratic Institute, praises the Peru elections and makes recommendations to ensure a free runoff. They had declined to observe the fraudulent re-election of President Alberto Fujimori in 2000.

March 19: The Carter Center observes the Guyana election and overall finds a free and fair election. The Center urges Guyanese to recommit themselves to peace and mutual respect, develop inclusive institutions of governance, and build a civil society that supports constructive political relations.

March 8:  The Carter Center hosts Francophonie 2001: Global Challenges of Strengthening Democracy and Human Rights conference. General Amadou Toumani Touré, the former president of Mali who helped topple a dictator and then stepped down in favor of an elected president, gives the keynote address.

Feb. 7-11:  President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter host their ninth annual ski weekend at the Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Crested Butte, Colo., benefiting The Carter Center. The auction raised $1.28 million, more than doubling 2000's proceeds.

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2000

Dec. 6-8: World mental health leaders gather at The Carter Center for the Inaugural World Conference for the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders.

Nov. 21: A Carter Center report on the Nov. 5 Nicaragua municipal elections finds that, overall, electoral procedures met international standards but cites flaws in voter registration, low turnout, slow reporting of results, and serious election problems in indigenous regions.

Nov. 17-19: The latest in a series of ministerial meetings arranged by the Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program between the governments of Sudan and Uganda results in advances toward implementing the Dec. 8, 1999, peace agreement mediated by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Nov. 10: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provides $741,000 to reactivate the International Task Force for Disease Eradication at The Carter Center. The task force will evaluate diseases for potential eradication and new research to advance those goals.

Nov. 8-9: The 16th annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy highlights disparities in mental health care for ethnic minority populations. U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher presents supporting evidence from the upcoming "Report on Mental Health: Ethnic Minorities and Mental Health."

Nov. 7: The Carter Center closes its office in Liberia, where it had worked for a decade to advance peace, human rights, and democracy.

Nov. 6-8: The Center's Democracy Program hosts an observation of the U.S. election by a delegation from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, which oversees village elections in some 930,000 China villages.

Oct. 16-18: Current and former leaders from the Western Hemisphere gather to address challenges to democracy in the Americas. The group recommends that countries should meet minimum standards for free elections as a criterion for participating in the Organization of American States' Summit of the Americas and proposes establishing a "scorecard" to measure the quality of countries' democratic practices.

Aug. 24: The Carter Center's final report on Mozambique's 1999 elections finds many positive elements in the elections but says the credibility of the process was undermined by technical problems and lack of transparency during the final stages of tabulation.

July 30: The Carter Center observes elections in Venezuela. The elections go smoothly, although delegation members note some technical problems with the electronic vote tabulation machines.

July 2: President Carter leads a delegation to observe Mexico's presidential elections. The country elects a new president, breaking 71 years of rule by the governing PRI party.

May 28: The Carter Center withdraws from observing Peru's presidential runoff election, citing conditions that would make a fair election impossible.

May 24: Carter Center delegation travels to Venezuela to observe the megaelections. The Carter Center endorses the decision of election authorities to postpone the vote so tabulation problems can be addressed.

May 12: The Carter Center and the National Democratic Institute observe elections in the Dominican Republic. They praise the elections yet call for improvements in the voting process.

May 8: At the annual Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum for some 350 mental health leaders, consumers, and policy-makers, the U.S. surgeon general and Rosalynn Carter call on communities to take action on recommendations of the first-ever Surgeon General's "Report on Mental Health."

March 22: Karin Ryan of the Center's Human Rights Program joins the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Human Rights Commission for its 56th session in Geneva.

March 2: President Carter calls for more aid for Mozambique to help the country recover from recent flooding.

Feb. 25: The Carter Center receives the Chairman's Award at the Southeastern Flower Show.

Feb. 16-20: President Carter and Mrs. Carter host their annual winter ski weekend in Crested Butte, Colo., to benefit The Carter Center. The weekend raises more than $500,000 from silent and live auctions.

Feb. 11: Election observers from The Carter Center and the National Democratic Institute visit Lima and find that Peru's election process does not yet meet international standards for democratic elections.

Jan. 12: The Carter Center urges Mozambican political parties and leaders to work together constructively to strengthen Mozambique's democracy. The call follows the Mozambican Supreme Court's Jan. 4 decision to validate the final election results and dismiss complaints filed by the opposition party RENAMO.

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