Zambia

Guided by President Carter’s “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power,” our current work advances his legacy of fostering equality and respect for women, as well as eliminating violence against them. 
 
Our Work and Methods 
Through our SheRise Women Advocates program, the Center offers financial and technical support to empower women environmental rights defenders in Zambia, enabling them to engage safely and effectively in activism that strengthens resilience and addresses climate change impacts at the local, regional, and global levels. 

We established a field presence in 2019 to pilot a participatory rights program and have worked with partners to increase the involvement of women and youth in policymaking and election processes. 

Our Work and Methods 

We partner with civil society and community-based organizations and leaders to advance their ability to influence citizen engagement; increase the participation of women, youth, and other excluded constituencies in political affairs; and engage decision-makers and elected officials on related reforms.  

Impacts 

We’ve helped train 500 civil society and community-based leaders in evidence-based advocacy for human rights. 

The Carter Center has monitored four elections in Zambia — 1991, 2001, 2016, and 2020 — partnering with international delegations from across the world. The Center declined an invitation to monitor elections in 2006, after concluding that elections in 2001 did not meet international standards. In subsequent election missions, we remained critical yet supportive of the country’s democratic process reforms.  

While elections in Zambia have routinely been marred by a lack of transparency, procedural complaints, and other issues, we have consistently supported credible reforms and inclusive democracy through election observation, civil society support, and technical assistance. 

More information about these elections is available in our publications section. 

From 1986-1992, The Carter Center, in partnership with the Sasakawa Africa Association, assisted Zambia farmers with agricultural production. The program was part of a larger partnership led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug that helped over 8 million small-scale sub-Saharan African farmers in countries where malnutrition is a constant threat. Farmers learned planting techniques and received credit for fertilizers and enhanced seeds, which yielded more crops. Participating farmers went on to teach others, creating a ripple effect to stimulate self-sufficiency.