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Those words were echoed by Emory President James Laney, who most recently served as U.S. ambassador to South Korea: "The Carter Center will be a place where scholars and statesmen, in reflection and consultation, seek those things that make for peace. That surely is what the ultimate aim of all our study and research should be--the well-being of peoples everywhere."

In reflecting on these words a decade later, it is gratifying to realize that the Center has not strayed from this mission of "waging peace." We certainly don't have all the answers, but our work has demonstrated there is a vital role for nongovernmental organizations like The Carter Center. Guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights, we've helped improve health, enhance freedom and democracy, and prevent and resolve conflict all over the world.

Helping People Lead Healthier Lives
Ten years ago, for example, there were 3.5 million people infected with Guinea worm disease in 19 African countries, India, and Pakistan. Today, thanks to our efforts and those of our many partners, there are fewer than 130,000 cases remaining. We're well on our way to making this only the second disease in history to be eradicated (the first was smallpox). We've also made progress in reducing the number of cases of river blindness and anticipate treating more than 5 million people by the end of 1997.

Our health programs don't stop at preventing disease; we're also working to ensure that people have enough to eat. Since 1986, more than 600,000 production test plots have served to train African farmers to triple, even quadruple, their crop yields. With the help of the Center's Global 2000 Program, Ghana has become self-sufficient in food production, and in Ethiopia, the government has adopted our techniques nationally.

Building Strong Democracies
Our efforts to promote freedom, particularly in Latin America, have helped usher in a new era of democracy in the region. In Haiti, a Carter Center delegation monitored the country's first democratic elections in 1990. Four years later, President Carter, accompanied by Sen. Sam Nunn and Gen. Colin Powell, successfully negotiated the departure of the military government, paving the way for the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the peaceful entry of U.S. troops. In Nicaragua and Panama, where we've monitored elections twice, elected leaders govern. In fact, in the Western Hemisphere today, only Cuba does not have a democratically elected leader.

Our conflict resolution efforts have taken Center staff to Bosnia, Estonia, Liberia, the Sudan, and a dozen other countries. In the Sudan, the Center negotiated the longest cease-fire ever implemented to fight disease. And in North Korea, President Carter was able to facilitate the opening of talks with the United States for the first time in half a century.

We've come a long way from that day in 1986 when President and Mrs. Carter stood on a grassy hillside, surrounded by friends and supporters, and pledged to make a difference in the world. Ten years from now and beyond, The Carter Center will still be waging peace-for the well-being of peoples everywhere.