The Carter Center Blog

Carter Center Observes Challenging DRC Elections, Committed to Country’s Long-Term Stability

On Nov. 28, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is holding its second democratic multi-party national elections since gaining independence in 1960, and the first to be administered solely by the country’s election commission. Elections in 2006 were overseen by the United Nations.

Photo:  G. Dubourthoumieu/The Carter Center
A Congolese woman casts her vote in a polling station in …

DRC Deaf Voter Education Empowers Those With No Voice

Carter Center long-term observer Max Lockie is based in Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The Center established an office in Kinshasa in August and deployed 10 long-term observers to seven  provinces: Kinshasa, Bas-Congo, Oriental Province, North Kivu, South Kivu, Katanga, and Kasai Oriental. In September, the Center deployed another 10 long-term observers to the remaining provinces.  They will be …

Voting Day: Liberia’s Oct. 11 Presidential and Legislative Elections

Deborah Hakes, assistant director of the Carter Center’s Office of Public Information, reports from Liberia, where the Carter Center’s international election observation team monitored the country’s Oct. 11 elections.

All Photos: D. Hakes/The Carter Center
Liberians lined up to vote on a rainy morning in Monrovia on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Credible elections in 2011 are a key test of whether …

On the Ground in Northwest Tunisia: Rural Voters Hope Elections Bring Much-Needed Change

Marwa Alkhairo is a Carter Center long-term election observer in northwest Tunisia and Bizerte.

“La bas alaik” and “ca va,” means “are you well,” one phrase said in Arabic, and one in French.

These two greetings are indicative of the complexity that one immediately notices upon reaching northwest Tunisia. A largely rural area that is proud of its Arab and …

Friends Celebrate 10th Anniversary of the Inter-American Democratic Charter

Watch live Carter Center webcast Oct. 13.

A group of former leaders and human rights experts serve as a watchdog to threats against democratic stability in the Americas and as a voice to strengthen, promote, and protect democracy and human rights. The group aims to bolster the effectiveness of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, approved on Sept. 11, 2001, by all …

Forum Addresses Media Stereotypes, Politicized Reporting in Latin America

Misunderstandings and tensions between Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela) and the United States are common, and often reinforced or made worse by charged, politicized reporting in media stories related to these countries.

To address this problem, the Carter Center-sponsored Andean-U.S. Dialogue Forum created a working group of media professionals to promote a deeper understanding of the role …

Share Your Thoughts: What Does ‘Peace’ Mean to You?

“Peace is more than the absence of war. There is an inner peace that comes from personal security and personal freedom. Peace also includes the sense of a mother and father that their children will live, that they’ll have food for them to eat, and that they won’t be subject to a lifetime of suffering that could have been prevented.” …

Carter Center Helps Protect Congolese Human Rights Defenders Through Alert System

Listen to Sophie Borel talk about why the alert system was established.

Click image below to watch video.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, human rights activists often face intimidation and threats of violence, a situation expected to worsen as November 2011 national elections approach.

“I often get calls in the evening or at night from human rights defenders …

Human Rights Defender Discusses Importance of Working Together to Advance Women’s Rights

Ratna Osman, acting executive director of Malaysia’s Sisters in Islam, was one of a diverse group of 72 human rights activists and religious scholars from 22 countries to attend the Carter Center’s human rights defenders forum this week in Atlanta.

Through Sisters in Islam, Osman creates public awareness and advocates for reform to advance women’s rights in Islam.

“We are …

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Urges Promotion of Women’s Rights by Religious Communities

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter urged religious communities to promote, not hinder, women’s rights during his opening remarks at the 2011 Human Rights Defenders Forum taking place at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga., April 3-6. The remarks were a follow up to a speech he gave to the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 2009.

The forum was attended …