News & Publications

Someone once said, "We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something." This summer at The Carter Center, the "somethings" add up to conducting major activities on three continents within six weeks.

In July, President Carter will accompany Mrs. Carter to Helsinki, Finland, for a meeting of the International Com-mittee of Women Leaders for Mental Health. The committee was formed at The Carter Center in 1991 to help those around the world with mental illnesses. The Helsinki meeting will produce plans to address the most pressing mental health issues in each of the 17 European nations represented. Dozens of influential women will attend, including former first ladies, royalty, and wives of heads of state.

Next, the Carters will join a Carter Center delegation in Monrovia, Liberia, to assess preparations for the July 19 presidential and legislative elections. The Carter Center has been involved there since 1991, and staff have made numerous trips in the last year to help election officials and others lay the foundation for free and fair elections. We believe that credible elections are not only necessary but essential to lasting peace in Liberia. The delegation will return to monitor the elections, and if necessary, go back to observe runoff elections in early August.

Between trips to Liberia, the Carters will travel to China for meetings with government and nongovernmental leaders. President Carter has had a keen interest in this part of the world since he normalized relations between the United States and China during his administration. It might surprise you to learn that earlier this year, a Carter Center delegation monitored village elections in China. Although it is not well known, 1 million villages go through a democratic process to elect three- to seven-person committees that govern decisions on roads, water systems, health care, taxes, and other local issues. The Carters will be in China at a critical time in the country's history, coming on the heels of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule. President Carter will discuss possible ways for The Carter Center to work with China on a number of issues.

Our busy summer also includes a trip by senior staff to Mexico to study the election process. We'll close the season in Ethiopia, with a major workshop on preventing starvation in sub-Saharan Africa. Co-sponsored by The Carter Center's Global 2000 program, the workshop will bring together African government and business leaders with our experts and others in the developed world. Global 2000 consultant and Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug believes that, working together, we can create a "Green Revolution." Ethiopia is a prime example. With Global 2000's help, this country now is producing enough food to export to other African nations.

Clearly, this summer will be a challenging and exciting time for The Carter Center and its many partners. After all, working toward a "world at peace" knows no season.