ATLANTA (AP) – Jimmy Carter is stepping away from his “front-line role” as a member of The Elders, the global human rights group announced Wednesday.
Former South African president Nelson Mandela founded the small group of former global leaders in 2007, and the former U.S. president participated in its first mission later that year in Sudan, focusing on Darfur. The organization said Carter has “played a key role” in every delegation in the Middle East, including trips last spring to Israel and Palestine as well as a meeting with Russian President Vladmir Putin in Moscow.
The statement gave no specific reason for the change in Carter’s status. The group also announced that former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso will step down and become an honorary member with Carter on June 1. The Elders already list Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who stepped down in 2013, as an emeritus member.
“From the Middle East to climate change, women’s rights to superpower diplomacy, Jimmy has brought the gravitas of his presidential office but also the passion of an activist who believes the world can, and must, be changed for the better,” Kofi Annan, chair of the London-based organization, said in a statement. “The Elders would not be the organisation it is today without his drive and vision, and he will stay an inspiration for all of us for many years ahead.”
A spokeswoman for Carter declined further comment on Wednesday.