Peace Programs

Can conflicts be prevented?

We monitor situations around the world that could erupt into conflict to detect the earliest signs of trouble and identify opportunities to divert violence, which might otherwise be overlooked or recognized too late.

Parties in dispute sometimes seek a neutral third party such as The Carter Center to facilitate dialogue in an effort to avert violence. After an attempted coup in Venezuela, the Center worked to advance discussions between the government and opposing factions. This dialogue helped to prevent a descent into internal armed conflict.

Ecuador and Colombia's shared border is under strain from multiple issues, including an ongoing guerilla war in Colombia and large numbers of Colombian refugees fleeing into already-poor Ecuador border towns to escape fighting in their country. The Carter Center is working to improve the relationship between the people of Colombia and Ecuador through a dialogue process between key citizens of both countries, which it organized in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program.