World leaders have reacted to news that former US President Jimmy Carter, who as president brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel peace prize for his humanitarian work, has died at age 100.
Politicians in the US remembered a giant. Joe Biden said his memories of Carter boiled down to “decency, decency, decency” – and Carter’s belief that everybody “deserved a shot”.
The White House has ordered a state funeral for 9 January – already declared a national day of mourning – and that American flags will fly at half-staff for 30 days.
“America – and the world, in my view – lost a remarkable leader,” Biden said of Carter, adding: “He was a statesman and a humanitarian.”
Meanwhile, Pope Francis praised Carter’s “firm commitment, motivated by deep Christian faith, to the cause of reconciliation and peace between peoples, the defense of human rights and the welfare of the poor and those in need”, reported Vatican News, the official news outlet of the Holy See.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said Carter “played a key role in conflict mediation, election monitoring, the promotion of democracy, and disease prevention and eradication. These and other efforts earned him the Nobel peace prize in 2002 and helped advance the work of the United Nations.”
“President Carter will be remembered for his solidarity with the vulnerable, his abiding grace, and his unrelenting faith in the common good and our common humanity.”
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, said Carter’s “significant role in achieving the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel will remain etched in the annals of history, and his humanitarian work exemplifies a lofty standard of love, peace, and brotherhood”.
“His enduring legacy ensures that he will be remembered as one of the world’s most prominent leaders in service to humanity.”
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, sent the Israeli government’s condolences in less effusive terms.
“We will always remember President Carter’s role in forging the first Arab-Israeli peace treaty signed by Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, a peace treaty that has held for nearly half a century and offers hope for future generations,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
Carter had accused the country of imposing apartheid on the Palestinians. Netanyahu pointedly did not meet with Carter during the former president’s 2015 trip to Israel.
In the UK, Keir Starmer has led a host of tributes, saying he “redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad”.
“His presidency will be remembered for the historic Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, and it was that lifelong dedication to peace that saw him receive the Nobel peace prize.”
The prime minister said Carter would be remembered for “decades of selfless public service”.
Sir Keir was joined in paying tribute to the 39th president by other leaders including King Charles, the Lib Dem leader, Sir Ed Davey, and the former PMs Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
King Charles said Carter was “a committed public servant, and devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights”.
“His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977.”
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said in a post to X that, above all, Carter “was a lover of democracy and a defender of peace”.
Lula recalled Carter’s pressure on the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1970s to release political prisoners. “Later, as a former president, he continued to campaign for the promotion of human rights, peace and the eradication of diseases in Africa and Latin America,” he added.
“Carter achieved the feat of having a job as a former president, over the decades, that was as important or even more important than his term in the White House,” Lula wrote.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, expressed China’s “deep condolences” for Carter’s death at a foreign ministry press briefing.
Carter was the US president who oversaw the establishment of diplomatic relations between his country and the People’s Republic of China in 1979.
“Former President Carter was the driving force behind the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and made important contributions to the development of China-United States relations and the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries,” Mao said.
The US-China agreement involved severing the US’s diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, an arrangement that lasts to this day. Washington, however, says it maintains a “robust unofficial relationship” with Taiwan.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron said: “Throughout his life, Jimmy Carter has been a steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable and has tirelessly fought for peace. France sends its heartfelt thoughts to his family and to the American people.”
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, wrote: “We join our American friends in mourning the loss of their former President Jimmy Carter. The US has lost a committed fighter for democracy. The world has lost a great mediator for peace in the Middle East and for human rights.”
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Carter “served his country with honor – and humanity, with compassion. His work advanced peace, health and democracy worldwide.
“He will be remembered for his moral leadership,” she added. “May his noble legacy live on.”
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Carter “was a leader who served during a time when Ukraine was not yet independent, yet his heart stood firmly with us in our ongoing fight for freedom.”
“He devoted his life to promoting peace in the world and defending human rights. Today, let us remember: peace matters, and the world must remain united in standing against those who threaten these values.”
Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said: “Jimmy Carter’s legacy is one of compassion, kindness, empathy, and hard work. He served others both at home and around the world his entire life – and he loved doing it.”
Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, said Carter’s time in the White House was “marked by difficult times, and were crucial for Panama in negotiating and signing the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1977, which transferred the [Panama] Canal into Panamanian hands and made our country truly sovereign”.
In Australia, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Carter had left a “remarkable legacy”.
“Beyond being elected to the presidency or being awarded the Nobel peace prize, Jimmy Carter’s legacy is best measured in lives changed, saved and uplifted.”
Reuters contributed reporting
