At Work Around the World

Like many countries in Africa, Mozambique has suffered from a shortage of rainfall, and this has affected food production in the main agricultural areas of the country, the Central and Northern regions. As a result of inadequate rainfall either delaying or preventing planting altogether in Mozambique, there have been major food shortages in the southern pockets of Sofala and Manica provinces, areas of Tete, and the coastal region of Nampula. However, thanks to efforts by The Carter Center and its partners, today less than 5 percent of the overall population has been affected.

Since 1995, The Carter Center has been working with Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to increase food security. Led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Norman Borlaug, the Sasakawa-Global 2000 Program is a joint venture between The Carter Center and the Sasakawa Africa Association and so far has helped more than 4 million African farmers improve agricultural production.

The prescription is simple: Farmers are provided with credit for fertilizers and seeds to grow test production plots. Following successful harvests, which usually exceed previous harvests by 200 to 400 percent, the farmers teach their neighbors about the new technologies, creating a ripple effect to stimulate food self-sufficiency in the nation. In Mozambique, the program began with 237 half-hectare maize demonstration plots and 25 rice demonstration plots in four provinces. Rice is an important commodity for both rural and urban populations in Mozambique. However, Mozambique relies on imports for two-thirds of rice required annually. Continued development will be required to assist Mozambique in providing this staple crop for more people.

Diversification in crops is also occurring in Mozambique. In addition to maize and rice, today, peanuts, cowpeas, beans, paprika, onions, potatoes, sesame, garlic, millet, cotton, and tobacco are grown. Farmers have been trained to raise the new crops with the use of proper fertilizers. For example, farming packages for maize included Manica SR and urea, and typical plots produced 55,000 plants per hectare.

These activities are working. A 2001-2002 program in the Nampula province produced maize and cowpea yields that were three times more than previous traditional yields. Peanut yields also were more than double.

Adopting new technologies to improve crop yields is only half the battle. Mozambique lacks a commercial system to make supplies available. In the past, only large commercial farms used supplies. To promote development of a retail supply system, The Carter Center and its partners fostered contacts among major chemical companies and potential fertilizer suppliers. Projects also focus on post-harvest technologies, including methods for processing and storing. Neighboring countries in the program are encouraged to foster cooperative efforts.

The government of Mozambique, encouraged by the Carter Center's successes, increased its agricultural development budget in 2004 to 6 percent from the 3 percent allocated in 1999.
In Mozambique, The Carter Center is working with government agencies and maintains a field office.

 

Waging Peace
Encouraging Reconciliation and Sustainable Development

In 1998, the government of Mozambique asked that the Carter Center's Global Development Initiative (1993-2006)  support a national consensus-building initiative known as the Agenda 2025 National Vision and National Development Strategy Process. This process would bring together Mozambicans from across the social and political spectrum to develop a shared, long-term vision and strategy for the future development of their country. The Agenda 2025 process will assist Mozambique to identify policy options to inform the country's Poverty Reduction Strategy, a short-term action plan required for foreign loans and grant aid from the international donor community.

While national elections, devastating floods, and political strife from 1999-2001 delayed the implementation of Agenda 2025, the Center helped lay the groundwork for the process by monitoring the elections and convincing the opposition to participate in the Agenda 2025 process. The UNDP established a trust fund and helped mobilize resources from donors to finance the initiative.

Agenda 2025 was launched by Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano and got underway in 2001 under the leadership of a national Committee of Councilors consisting of civic and political leaders. The Global Development Initiative was the sole nongovernmental partner of the committee, providing advice on development issues and facilitating consensus and access to resources. Countrywide consultations, research, and debate took place. The Agenda 2025 vision and strategy process was completed in July 2003, and the final agenda was publicly disseminated and then unanimously approved by Parliament in December 2003. Agenda 2025 soon will be translated into the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy policies and programs supported by international donors.

The Global Development Initiative also worked with national-level civil society organizations in Mozambique to promote citizen participation in the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy. The Center's efforts began with the production and distribution of a layman's guide to the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy and continued with training, advocacy, and community outreach.

President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique made opening remarks at the fourth Development Cooperation Forum, "Achieving More Equitable Globalization," held Dec. 9, 2005, in Atlanta, to examine its progress and ongoing challenges to reducing poverty, fostering development and democracy, and enhancing international cooperation.   In addition, the president and a group of civil society and opposition party representatives from Mozambique participated in the initiative's third Development Cooperation Forum Feb. 21-22, 2002. The forum explored Mozambique's participation and ownership of its development strategies and programs with the international community.

Updated January 2007


Monitoring Elections
Following assessment trips in March and October 2003 during which election authorities, political parties, and local observer groups welcomed the Center's presence, The Carter Center began a long-term electoral assistance project in Mozambique in October 2003. The Center sought to support civil society groups in their efforts to have a voice in the electoral process and to observe the November 2003 municipal elections. The project culminated in the Center's observation of the December 2004 presidential elections.

The Center found Mozambique's second municipal elections in November 2003 generally well-conducted and peaceful. Fifteen observers were deployed to more than 150 polling stations in 11 municipalities and seven provinces. They found the polling process to be well-administered in most places, but reports of less than 30 percent voter turnout were of concern.

A team of nine long-term observers was deployed in early October 2004 in preparation for the presidential elections to observe the political environment, election preparations, and the political party campaigns. The Center's observers visited more than 50 urban and rural districts in the 10 provinces and Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. They met with representatives of the political parties, electoral authorities, domestic and international election observers, civic organizations, media, and international community representatives. Generally, observers found a calm environment, though some isolated signs of intimidation were observed in Gaza and Tete provinces. The code of electoral conduct signed by all political parties in May 2004 was respected to varying degrees throughout the country.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; his wife, Rosalynn; former Benin President Nicéphore Soglo; and Carter Center Executive Director Dr. John Hardman led a 60-member international delegation for the Dec. 1-2 presidential election. Carter Center observers visited nearly 1,000 polling stations in all 10 provinces and Maputo. Observers generally found the polling stations they visited were well-organized, functioned effectively, were fully staffed, and had necessary election materials. The Center continued to observe ballot tabulation at the provincial and national levels for several weeks following the election days.

During the December 1999 elections, President and Mrs. Carter and former Botswana President Ketumile Masire led a Carter Center team of 50 observers from 16 countries. The team was invited by the Mozambique National Elections Commission and welcomed by major political parties, including FRELIMO and RENAMO. Delegates observed 649 polling sites in 50 districts, representing 550,000 registered voters, and found the voting process to be peaceful and orderly. The Center noted some problems with processing complaints, delayed poll openings, and intimidation of some RENAMO party members. The Center was particularly concerned about the lack of transparency in processing the final vote count and could not ultimately verify the election results.


Election Reports
 
Observing the 2004 Mozambique Elections (PDF) 
The final Carter Center report on the Dec. 1-2, 2004, Mozambique elections 
 
OBSERVAÇÃO DAS ELEIÇÕES DE MOÇAMBIQUE 2004 (PDF) 
OBSERVAÇÃO DAS ELEIÇÕES DE MOÇAMBIQUE 2004, OUTUBRO 2005 
 
Postelection Statement on Mozambique Elections,
Jan. 26, 2005 (English and Portuguese) 
The Carter Center recognizes the overall results and congratulates the elected Frelimo President Armando Emílio Guebuza. However, the Center concludes the National Elections Commission, CNE, has not administered a fair and transparent election in all parts of Mozambique. Political parties must also be held accountable since it is their representatives in the CNE and the Technical Secretariat for Election Administration who are responsible for the overall success or failure of the elections. The Center has attempted to observe and assess as much of the verification process as possible but has been hindered by a lack of cooperation by the CNE.
 
Postelection Statement on Mozambique Elections,
Dec. 21, 2004 (English and Portuguese)
Continuing its observation of the Dec. 1-2 presidential and legislative elections, The Carter Center has monitored the tabulation of results in provincial capitals and the reclassification of invalid votes at the National Elections Commission in Maputo. The Center has followed several issues since the election days that were of concern, including the arrest of Renamo representatives in the Manica, Niassa, and Nampula provinces, delayed poll openings in rural areas of Zambezia, and low voter turnout. The Center will maintain its presence in Mozambique until the conclusion of the elections and then will publish a comprehensive report. 
 
Postelection Statement on Mozambique Elections,
Dec. 4, 2004 (English and Portuguese) 
The Carter Center was invited by the National Elections Commission and welcomed by all major political parties to observe the Dec. 1–2 elections. The Center observed the 1999 and 2003 elections and has been engaged in initiatives in Mozambique, including support for the Agenda 2025 national consensus-building initiative and agriculture production technologies through SG 2000.  
 
Carter Center To Observe 2004 Mozambican
Presidential Elections (English and Portuguese) 
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; his wife, Rosalynn; and former Benin President Nicéphore Soglo will lead a 60-member international delegation to observe Mozambique's presidential and legislative elections. The Carter Center, which observed the 1999 national elections and the 2003 municipal elections, was invited by the National Elections Commission and welcomed by all major political parties to observe the Dec. 1-2 elections. 
 
Relatório do Carter Center sobre a Actualização do Recenseamento
Eleitoral de Moçambique, 28 de Junho– 15 de Julho de 2004 (PDF)
Relatório do Carter Center sobre a Actualização do Recenseamento Eleitoral de Moçambique, 28 de Junho–15 de Julho de 2004. 
 
The Carter Center Report on the Mozambique Voter
Registration Update, June 28 to July 15, 2004 (PDF)
The Carter Center Report on the Mozambique Voter Registration Update, June 28 to July 15, 2004. 

Pre-election Statement on Mozambique Elections,
July 26, 2004 (English and Portuguese) 
In response to an invitation issued by the National Elections Commission, The Carter Center observed the voter registration update in Mozambique from June 28 to July 15. With observers from five countries – Belgium, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Guinea-Conakry, and the United States – The Carter Center visited 151 registration brigades in nine provinces. 

Final Report: Observing the 2003 Mozambique Municipal Elections (PDF) 
The final report from The Carter Center on the 2003 Mozambique municipal elections. 

Eleicoes Autarquicas Mocambique (Final Report: Observing the 2003 Mozambique Municipal Elections, Portuguese version)(PDF)
Relatorio de Observacao Eleitoral 

Postelection Statement on Mozambique Elections,
Jan. 20, 2004 (English and Portuguese) 
The Carter Center welcomes the Jan.15, 2004, Constitutional Council of Mozambique announcement of final results for the November 2003 municipal elections. 

Postelection Statement on Mozambique Elections,
Nov. 21, 2003 (English and Portuguese) 
Mozambique's second municipal elections were generally well-conducted and peaceful. The National Elections Commission, the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration, and local polling staff are to be congratulated for the conduct of all aspects of the polling process on election day. Party delegates from two or more candidates or party lists were present in most polling stations. The participation of candidates from nine smaller parties and six civic groups, in addition to those of the ruling Frelimo party and main opposition Renamo-Electoral Union coalition, speaks to the desire for spirited multiparty competition in Mozambique's 33 municipalities.

Observing the 1999 Elections in Mozambique, Final Report (PDF) 
After critical first elections supporting both war-to-peace transitions and a move to democracy, a country's second election often presents even greater challenges.
 
Sumário Executivo (PDF) 
Mozambique Executive Summary (Portuguese)

Press Statement on Mozambique Elections, Dec. 6, 1999  
The Carter Center commends the Mozambican people for their enthusiastic participation in the Dec. 3-5 elections and for their demonstration of faith in the democratic process. 
 
Postelection Statement on Mozambique Elections, Dec. 6, 1999  
The Carter Center's election observation delegation would like to commend the Mozambican people for their participation in the general elections of Dec. 3-5 and to present this preliminary statement on the electoral process. 
 
Observing the 1999 Elections in Mozambique, Final Report (Portuguese) (PDF)  
Process of Observation, the Election of 1999 in Mozambique, Final Report (Portuguese)