Statement from Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on the Death of Meles Zenawi

Contact: Deanna Congileo, dcongil@emory.edu

I was saddened to learn of the death of Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. For two decades, he was a committed supporter of Carter Center work to help improve well-being at the community level in Ethiopia, work that helped to increase crop production and prevent the spread of horrific diseases, such as Guinea worm, river blindness, trachoma, malaria, and lymphatic filariasis. One of the most innovative projects led by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education in partnership with The Carter Center increased the number of health officers and trained 30,000 health extension workers, mostly women, to deliver health services to rural communities throughout Ethiopia. He also made the control of malaria a priority, by distributing 20 million long-lasting insecticide nets to susceptible communities. These and other public health projects improved Ethiopia's capacity to sustain health care delivery in rural areas and ultimately to boost the potential for long-term development in the nation.

My wife, Rosalynn, and I offer our deepest condolences to his wife, his family, and the people of Ethiopia.

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