Share

Timeline and History: 1981-1990

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 80 countries. The Center, in partnership with Emory University, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering.

Browse by Year

1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989


1990

Dec. 16: The Carter Center's Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government observes Haiti's first free and fair democratic national elections.

Sept. 17: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter moderates a Carter Center conference, "A Crisis in the Gulf," a production of the Discovery Channel on the Middle East.

May 16: The Carter Center's Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government observes elections in the Dominican Republic.

Feb. 23-28: The Carter Center's Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government observes Nicaragua's presidential election, in which Chamorro defeated incumbent Daniel Ortega to become that country's new president.

Top

1989

Dec. 9: The fourth annual Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize is awarded to the Palestinian organization al-Haq and the Israeli organization B'Tselem at The Carter Center.

Nov. 20-Dec. 2: Preliminary Carter Center-led peace negotiations between the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front reconvene in Nairobi, Kenya.

Nov. 14: The Carter Center hosts "The Nicaraguan Elections: A Turning Point?" symposium.

Nov. 2: The Carter Center hosts a symposium on the Horn of Africa.

Oct. 25-27: The Carter Center hosts "The Church's Challenge in Health" conference.

Sept. 7-19: Preliminary peace negotiations between the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front begin at The Carter Center.

July 28: The Carter Center's Project Africa program is initiated in Zimbabwe.

July 25-Aug. 2: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter travel to Africa to meet with heads of state, check on progress of Global 2000 agriculture and health projects, and attend the International Conference on Guinea Worm.

May 20-21: The Carter Center hosts a conference titled "Soviet Culture and Communication under Gorbachev."

May 9: The Carter Center hosts a symposium on morality and foreign policy.

May 7: Members of the Carter Center's Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government observing elections in Panama denounce the elections as fraudulent.

March 29-30: The Carter Center hosts the "Latin American Hemispheric Agenda" consultation.

Feb. 17-18: The Carter Center hosts the "Governance in Africa" symposium.

Top


1988

Dec. 10: The third Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize is awarded to the Sisulu family of South Africa.

December: The International Task Force for Disease Eradication is established at The Carter Center of Emory University.

Oct. 18-19: The Carter Center hosts "The American Convention on Human Rights and the English-speaking Caribbean" workshop.

April 21-23: The Carter Center hosts "Theology, Politics, and Peace."

Feb. 10-12: The Carter Center hosts "Women and the Constitution: A Bicentennial Perspective".

Top


1987

Dec. 10: The second Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize is awarded to LaVicaria de la Solidaridad of Chile.

Nov. 16-17: A Middle East Consultation: Ten Years after Sadat's Visit to Jerusalem - A Look to the Future is held.

Nov. 9: The Carter Center establishes a Board of Councilors to advance understanding of and support for The Carter Center and its activities among private-sector opinion leaders in Atlanta and Georgia.

Sept. 17: At a Carter Center-sponsored "Healthier People Conference," a Center-based health risk appraisal project is announced.

May 28-29: The Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program hosts international mediation work sessions.

Jan. 28: The Jimmy Carter Library opens to researchers.

Top


1986

Dec. 10: The first Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize is awarded to Soviet physicist and dissident Yuri Orlov and to Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo, a Guatemalan organization that unites families whose relatives have been abducted, kidnapped, or disappeared.

Nov. 16-18: The Carter Center hosts the consultation "Reinforcing Democracy in the Americas."

November: The Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government is created at The Carter Center.

Oct. 1: The new complex housing The Carter Center is dedicated in a ceremony on the Center grounds.

Aug. 1: Global 2000 is founded to implement Carter Center programs for health and food security worldwide.

May 15: Dr. William H. Foege is appointed executive director of the Carter Center of Emory University.

April 28-May 1: The Carter Center hosts "Risks Old and New: A Global Consultation on Health."

April 7-8: The Carter Center's Latin America Program hosts its inaugural symposium, "The Debt Crisis: Adjusting to the Past or Planning for the Future?"

March 19: The Carter-Menil Human Rights Foundation is created to promote protection of human rights throughout the world.

Top


1985

Sept. 7-11: The Carter Center hosts a conflict resolution seminar on the future of tobacco.

April 9-13: The Carter Center hosts the "International Security and Arms Control" consultation.

Top


1984

Nov. 26-28: The Carter Center's health program hosts "Closing the Gap," the program's first major consultation.

Oct. 2: Groundbreaking ceremonies are held on the grounds of the future Carter Center complex in Atlanta.

Sept. 11: The Carter Center hosts a symposium on world resources and U.S. interests.

May 31: The Carter Center hosts a symposium on arms control negotiation.

Top


1983

Nov. 6-9: Former U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford co-host the Carter Center's inaugural Middle East consultation, bringing together top policy makers and representatives from the region, and helping shape the foundation for development of the Center's Middle East program.

Sept. 22: The architects' model of The Carter Center is unveiled. Architects: Jova/Daniels/Busby and Lawton, Umemura & Yamamoto. Landscape firm: EDAW. Museum exhibit: Design and Production Inc. General Contractor: Beers Inc. Original concept for Carter Presidential Center design: Christopher Hemmeter.

June 15: A 12-member Board of Advisors is appointed to provide guidance on direction and focus of Carter Center activities.

Top


1982

July 16-18: At a Sapelo Island planning session, plans are formulated for the design and purpose of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum and The Carter Center.

April 21: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is appointed University Distinguished Professor at Emory University, where he plans to establish a policy research center.

Top


1981

Oct. 29: The Carter Library Inc. is incorporated.

Feb. 12: The Atlanta Area Consortium for the Presidential Library recommends that the Jimmy Carter Library be located in the Great Park of Atlanta.

Jan. 20: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's transition offices are established in the Richard Russell Building, and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Papers Project is established in the old post office building across the street.

Top

Donate Now

Sign Up For Email

Please sign up below for important news about the work of The Carter Center and special event invitations.

Please leave this field empty
Now, we invite you to Get Involved

The Carter Center through the Decades

Back To Top