A forthright and principled advocate for human rights and democracy, President Carter was a founding member of The Elders in 2007. In 2016, he stepped down from his front-line role as a member of The Elders. Praised by then-Chair Kofi Annan for bringing "the gravitas of his Presidential office but also the passion of an activist,” he remains an Elder Emeritus.

During his nine years as an active member of The Elders, Jimmy Carter led and joined many Elders’ delegations, including to Sudan 2007 and 2012; Cyprus in 2008 and 2009; the Korean Peninsula and China in 2011; South Sudan in 2012; Myanmar in 2013; and Moscow in 2015.

In addition to the visits above, the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a consistent focus of President Carter’s work as an Elder, promoting peace, dialogue and reconciliation. He joined Elders’ delegations to the Middle East in August 2009 and October 2010, travelling to Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan and Syria to support efforts to advance Arab-Israeli peace. In October 2012, he visited Israel, the West Bank and Egypt to draw attention to the imperilled two-state solution and lend support to the Egyptian democratic transition. President Carter also led The Elders’ delegation to Israel and Palestine in May 2015 during which The Elders continued to support a two-state solution, Palestinian reconciliation and an end to the perilous situation in Gaza.

Jimmy Carter was elected President of the United States of America in 1976, serving from 1977 to 1981. He aspired to make the US government “competent and compassionate,” responsive to the American people and their expectations.

During his time in office, President Carter became known as a champion of human rights and a peace-maker in international affairs. He negotiated the 1978 Camp David Accords and peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. He also negotiated the Panama Canal treaties in 1977, established US diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and negotiated the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union – a long-term, comprehensive agreement limiting the development of nuclear weapons.

On the domestic side, the administration's achievements included a comprehensive energy program conducted by a new Department of Energy; major educational programs under a new Department of Education; and major environmental protection legislation, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

Preceding his presidency, Jimmy Carter trained and served as a naval officer but returned to Plains, Georgia in 1953 to operate his family’s seed and farm supply company. Later, he became a prominent community leader and was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962. In 1971, he became Georgia's 76th Governor.

Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2002 for “his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” He is the only US President to be awarded the Prize after leaving office.

Through his Carter Center, founded in 1982 after he left office he has undertaken extensive conflict resolution efforts on several continents. He has shown outstanding commitment to human rights, and has served as an observer at countless elections all over the world. He has worked hard on many fronts to fight tropical diseases and to bring about growth and progress in developing countries.

Jimmy Carter is also the author of 32 books, published between 1975-2018.

In 1982, President Carter became University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and founded The Carter Center. Under his active guidance, this non-partisan and non-profit organisation works to resolve conflicts, advance democracy, protect human rights and improve health in over 70 countries.

Among other achievements, the Carter Center has reduced the incidence of Guinea worm disease by more than 99 per cent, making it likely to be the second disease in history to be eliminated. It has also observed 83 elections in 34 countries to help establish and strengthen democracies. In January 2011, Jimmy Carter was joined by his fellow Elder Kofi Annan to lead the Carter Center observation mission on South Sudan’s independence referendum.