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.

Nov. 28: The Carter Center observes the presidential and legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, co-led by former Zambia President Rupia Banda and Carter Center Vice President for Peace Programs Dr. John Stremlau.  Although the Center found that the large and peaceful turnout of the Congolese people demonstrated their continuing commitment to the pursuit of peace, the provisional election results announced Dec. 9 by the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) lacked credibility, according to the post-election statement.

Nov. 28: Egyptians begin three-part Parliamentary Elections—slated to take place across three regions on separate polling days (Nov. 28, 2011; Dec. 14, 2011; and Jan. 3, 2012)—with an international Carter Center delegation present to "witness" all rounds of voting.  The first multi-party elections since the departure of Hosni Mubarak, they represent a milestone in the country's democratic transition.

Nov. 8: Liberia's presidential run-off election is observed by an international Carter Center delegation—including more than 50 observers from 20 countries across Africa and around the world, and led by His Excellency General Dr. Yakubu Gowon, former head of state of Nigeria. The Center reported that although Liberia's Nov. 8 presidential run-off election was conducted in general accordance with Liberia's legal framework and its international obligations for democratic elections, it was marred by an opposition boycott, violence on the eve of the election, and low voter turnout.

Oct. 23: The Carter Center observes Tunisia's historic National Constituent Assembly elections—the first "Arab Spring" country to hold democratic elections.  The delegation's co-leaders were former President of Mauritius Cassam Uteem and Carter Center President and CEO Dr. John Hardman.  Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter also participated in the delegation.

Oct. 11: The Carter Center observes Liberia's presidential and legislative elections, a critical test for the country's transition from war to democratic and constitutional governance.

Oct. 5:  During a press conference attended by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, Britain's Department of International Development announces a £20 million (U.S. $31 million) donation to the Carter Center's Guinea Worm Eradication Program and calls on other donors to complete funding toward the goal of Guinea worm eradication by 2015.

Sept. 24:  At the invitation of the Cherokee Nation Election Commission, The Carter Center deploys a small observation mission for the special election for principal chief. Observers commended the Cherokee Nation on a successful voting day and called for transparency as the election process continued via absentee ballot.

Aug. 12: The Carter Center celebrates the graduation of Liberia's first class of locally trained mental health clinicians, who were awarded certificates as part of a joint project between the Liberian Ministry of Health and The Carter Center to build a sustainable mental health system in the post-conflict nation.

Aug. 4:  The Carter Center formally launches an international observation mission—at the invitation of the Tunisian electoral commission—to monitor Tunisia's Constituent Assembly elections, set for Oct. 23.  This historic election marks the first by an "Arab Spring" country.

July 28:  Once one of the most endemic countries for Guinea worm disease, Ghana announces that it has ended transmission of the water-borne parasitic disease, with the last indigenous case reported and contained in May 2010.

July 15: The Carter Center awards the 2011-2012 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism—now in its 15th year—to six U.S. and two Romanian journalists. 

May 18:  Despite a climate of heightened insecurity and instances of procedural irregularities that removed an important safeguard of the process, a report issued today by The Carter Center finds that South Kordofan's elections were generally peaceful and credible.  The Center's election observation team included 24 observers from 14 nations.

April 6:  A group of human rights defenders and religious leaders representing more than 20 countries gathered at The Carter Center April 3-6 for "Religion, Belief, and Women's Rights"—the Center's sixth human rights defenders policy forum—which called on faith leaders to reassess the role religions play in continuing discrimination against women worldwide.

March 31:  After 13 years training more than 26,000 public health workers to help fill the gap in rural health services for 75 million Ethiopians, The Carter Center-assisted Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative (EPHTI)—which worked in partnership with seven Ethiopian universities and the Ethiopian government to improve the public health education system—officially is transferred to Ethiopia's Federal Ministries of Health and Education.

March 28-30:  In a follow-up to their May 2002 visit to Cuba, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter meet with President Raul Castro and other Cuban officials and citizens to learn about new economic policies and the upcoming Party Congress, and to discuss ways to improve U.S.-Cuba relations. The visit was a private, nongovernmental mission under the auspices of the not-for-profit Carter Center.

Feb. 28:  The Andean-U.S. Dialogue Forum, a citizens' forum—sponsored by The Carter Center and International IDEA to identify and contribute solutions to multilateral problems and tensions among the Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela) and the United States—issues a report outlining a common agenda to improve cooperation among the nations.

Feb. 27: Annual Winter Weekend auction, held at Port St. Lucie, Fla., raises $841,750 to benefit the nonprofit Carter Center's initiatives to advance peace and health worldwide.

Feb. 17: Carter Center ceremony honors Nigeria and Niger as most recent nations to halt Guinea worm disease transmission.

Jan. 19: The Carter Center, in partnership with the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), expands its Community Legal Advisor (CLA) program to provide legal support services in nine rural Liberian counties.  The program gives rural Liberians access to free community-based legal services and knowledge of their rights.

Jan. 9-15: In one of the Carter Center's largest observation missions, more than 100 Carter Center observers were deployed across Sudan and in eight out-of-country voting locations to witness voting in the referendum on independence for Southern Sudan, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters. The international team was led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Tanzania Prime Minister Joseph Warioba, and Dr. John Hardman, Carter Center president and CEO.