FORMER US President Jimmy Carter has been remembered for his contribution to the peace process in Northern Ireland following this death this week.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981, died on December 29, aged 100.
He passed away in his hometown, Plains, Georgia, his family confirmed in a statement via the Carter Center, a not-for-profit human rights organisation which he set up in 1982.
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” his son Chip Carter said.
Former US President Jimmy Carter has dead, aged 100“My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”
Paying tribute, President Michael D Higgins recalled the years President Carter dedicated to helping others through that organisation.
“The values that a global public have come to associate with former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, for younger generations in particular, will have been through their awareness, and admiration, of the work of the Carter Center,” he said.
“These values were, however, ones that can be seen to have informed all of his life.”
He added: “President Carter will be remembered as a principled man who dedicated his life to seeking to advance the cause of peace across the world. His exceptional contribution was in his quest to understand the obstacles to peace.
“Almost uniquely as a former President, his greatest legacy will however perhaps be his distinguished record and commitment to human rights in the decades following his Presidency.
“This is a legacy that was given international recognition when Jimmy Carter in 2002 became the only U.S. President to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after leaving office.”
President Michael D Higgins pictured with former United States President Jimmy Carter and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson at Aras an Uachtarain in 2103Taoiseach Simon Harris also paid tribute this week, recalling Carter’s contribution to the peace process in Northern Ireland and other conflicts.
“As 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter served in his nation's highest office with distinction before forging an enduring legacy as a global statesman and human rights pioneer,” he said.
"At 100 years old, President Carter did some of his most impactful work after he left the Oval Office in a retirement that lasted more than four decades.
"His work in the Middle East remains of global significance and is a reminder of the moral obligation on the world leaders of today as a humanitarian catastrophe on an unprecedented scale unfolds there now,” he added.
"Jimmy Carter’s legacy is a reminder of what diplomacy can achieve; the peace deal he helped to forge between Israel and Egypt at Camp David stands to this day.
"He was a keen supporter of peace in Ireland and a respected voice on the road to the Good Friday Agreement.
"The world has lost a great humanitarian, the United States has lost a great President, and a family has lost a wonderful decent man.”
US President Jimmy Carter (centre) congratulates Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat (l) and Israeli Premier Menachem Begin (r) at the White House on March 26, 1979 after the signing of the historic Camp David Accords peace treatySDLP Leader Claire Hanna has also paid tribute to the former US President, who she claims was the first to “seriously engage with issues in Northern Ireland”.
“Throughout his life Jimmy Carter was an advocate for human rights, peace, humanitarianism and doing what’s right, no matter how difficult,” the South Belfast and Mid Down MP said.
“At a time when violence was raging across Northern Ireland, Jimmy Carter ignored advice not to intervene and stuck his head above the parapet calling for the US to become directly involved in trying to secure peace here and promising investment after it was established.
“He was persuaded to get involved by Tip O’Neill, Ted Kennedy and others who updated him with the latest happenings here, though their own engagement with John Hume.”
She explained: “Carter’s intervention was a significant one, he was serious about his commitment to advancing the cause of peace around the world and shared Hume’s vision that the only solution to the conflict here could be a peaceful one.
“His statement sent a clear message to the then-British government that they could no longer act with impunity when it came to Northern Ireland.
“Jimmy Carter leaves a lasting imprint not only on Northern Ireland, but around the world.
“He has left the world a better place as a result of his contribution throughout a lifetime of service and I can think of no greater legacy than that.”
President-elect Jimmy Carter makes a statement after being elected 39th President of the United States, on November 05, 1976 in Plains, GeorgiaPresident Carter leaves behind his children Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy; 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
He is precdeceased by his wife, Rosalynn and one grandchild.
His funeral Mass is set to be held at the Washington National Cathedral on January 9.
Outgoing President Joe Biden is expected to give a eulogy at the service.
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